Sunny beating the heat

 

Evie looking on

Swim Sunny Swim

 
30 year old gentleman, Sunny, having a swim on a hot day.

Louise is a lot better

Hoorah, the little love can walk again. S the Vet will be very happy when he sees her for her next check up. She's using the hobbles less and less as her leg muscles strengthen and her nerves for new pathways.

Curly and Toffee saying good morning

 

 

New fences

 
You can actually see the line of the old fence - diagonal to the new (only half-painted at the left at this stage) running towards the camera marked by yellow daisies. The fence affected the grazing / mowing pattern. Billy on the left, Win on the right.

Louise is a little better

After weeks of laying down on the rug inside, and having to be carried outside for "wetties" Louise is getting around on her own. She had her pins taken out of her broken pelvis, and within two days she's hobbling around everywhere. Really enthusiastically, and like smiling, like kind of really relieved she can walk again. Not well. She still needs hobbles so her back legs dont splay out. But maybe as she gets stronger she wont need those anymore. Fingers crossed. Good girl.

Louise run over!

Oh no, will the anguish our pets suffer never end. Poor Louise. 12 years old. Rather deaf. Asleep on the driveway and didnt get out of the way of the reversing ute our fence-builder was driving. He was very upset. Poor love, broken pelvis and surger for two pins to hold your leg bones on. Three weeks later and you still cant walk. Hops about a bit but lays down all day. Must hurt. Well you are an inside poodle now! Get well soon.

Post and Rail

What better way to dress up the place than with some post a rail fencing? Not cheap, but looks great. Half way through it.

And we now have a little dam over the other side so we dont need to siphon water over from the dam to the bath tubs.

Evie's adventures

O competed at Scone in May and at Berimah in June. Came 6th and 5th. Looking forward to competing in Sydney in July when the DAY BEFORE the competition, in our new yards, she decides to "follow" O who was walking over to Cedar's paddock and jumped the 1.8m yard fence - from a standing start! - and got stuck with the back legs still in the yard off the ground, and her from parts on the ground outside the yard. Evie was creaming in pain. O was screaming in panic that she might die. And everyone, neighbours (thanks L) M and me all running around tryingto think of how to get her off BEFORE SHE DIES! I got the circular saw fromt he garage and enough extension cord to reach. Sawed through four boards and got her off. Police arrived, just in case. M called 000. THey called off the SES. Newcastle Herald photographer arrived and chatted with O. 2KO rang. They'd heard a horse was impaled on a fence. She wasnt impaled but that was the worst case the 000 operator discussed with the emergency services.

The vet came - bruises, lacerations, but nothing broken. Antibiotics and she should be good for riding again soon. But of course the competition was off teh following day losing $190 in fees - for Evie and Cedar.\\

WE replaced the four rails the following day. Luckily we had spares from the recent building of them.

Cats against the wall

 
Stop hassling us dogs!

Riding Lessons

 
Mickey and Panda enjoying the morning.

New Dog

 
Meet Bronco, or TinTin. Wiating for the new 2 yearold's name to grow on us. Welcome aboard son.

Postscript: we have named him "Billy"

Alexander Park Dressage

 


Evie du Jour and O competing at the first Dressage event since the EI outbreak - also Evie's first ever event. Did ok. O also competed on Cedar.

New Cat

We have a new kitten. A little boy 8 weeks old called Panda. (He's black and white). And the sweetest little cuddly cat person we've ever encountered. The dogs love him and he loves to play running up and down the back verandah with them. Louise, our elderly poodle, is getting all maternal on him.

Update: More recently (Late March) he's grown so and is taken to SWIMMING in the dam!

New Horse

All horses got through the Eq Flu ok, thank heavens. Mac cut his leg on barb wire, daily dressings by owner T, and O. Coming along ok.

Big News. Bargain Thoroughbred, Evie, 16.5 hands. Arrived just now. Chestnut mare - looks very much like Cedar - who will be going into foal asap. Quiet, well mannered and talented jumper etc. C things O should be going pre-Novice on her by Feb 08.

Equine Flu

Despite almost two months of strict quarantine after two of ours (Cedar and Mac) went to Carrols Ranch and then managed to avoid the flu until this week. Despite quarantine measures even the vets are saying it is airborne. Made the local news our outbreak did being apparently the closest outbreak to Newcastle. Keisha got it first, followed by Mac, and by the end of the week everyone had it. Luckily it seems amazingly mild. No one is off their food. Hopefully it will pass safely.

Bandit the Beautiful Beagle 1995-2007 RIP

Oh, we were all out when somehow you wandered onto the main road on Lawson Avenue and got hit by a car about 9.30 pm last night. The RSPCA ambulance was called, they tried to help you. But your injuries were too severe. I picked your little body up this morning. We all stood around your fresh grave in the orchard as we laaid your life to rest. you will always be with us in our hearts and thoughts. Clever, funny, adorable friend. Say hi to Edwina. Love you, your family. Louise and Win are distraught also.

Carol's One Day Event Aug 07

 

O and Cedar had a great round here - came 13th overall in Introductory. Very pleasing. Less pleasing was the Equine Influenza outbreak that focussed here after somehow getting out of quarantine in Sydney. Luckily our six horses remain EI free two weeks later though the CFields are under a quarantine order for 50 days (because we were at Carol's Ranch then). We are luckier than many other there that day.

Horses Birthday Photos

     

Horses Birthday

Last Saturday we had a riding day at Cedars Fields to celebrate the 01 Aug Horses Birthday. We had five riders and five parents/guests to try out/watch the new dressage arena and the first jumps/obstacles/large logs over in the cross-country course/cows' paddock. It was a beaautiful day. I cooked the BBQ. Cedar and Mac were ridden through the dam in Cedar's paddock and even Teddy got in the act by tying up at the new tie up rail to watch the other horses and then he got another lesson to feel part of the festivities.

Well. The next day, O got a saddle on Teddy and very gradually put more weight onto his back. Until, hey presto, she was in the saddle and he was getting used to the new weight. He looked quite pleased with himself afterwards, like he had joined the ranks of the working ponies.