Goat shows and horse clinics

Harmody Farms took two of our does to a show in Longmont, CO last weekend. They decided to buy our goat doeling and they are thinking about buying our yearling milker. In the meantime, they asked if it was possible for them to hold onto the milker while they decided. I feel bad cuz they are doing all the work of milking her and feeding her... they feel bad cuz they are keeping our goat! Funny.

Sounds like our does did well - showed well and placed well and weren't too freaked out by all the sudden attention it takes to be a show goat! The milker had to have the insides of her ears shaved so if she won the judge could read her tattoo number and verify it was really her. And her udder had to be shaved. Yowza! I'm glad no one has to shave MY udder.

Our current farm project is to acclimate the horses to the lush, green pasture. We keep them in their pens while the grass is coming in so that the pasture isn't turned into a big, dry-lot, dust bowl as they eat, eat, eat the grass before it's established. When we begin to turn them out, we have to do it gradually. If we let them out to gorge on the green, rich grass all day they would founder and become really sick. Suppose you could liken it to letting me have my fill of chocolate and fried foods all day long, all at once after being on a grapefruit diet for five months. They are up to 4 hrs out in the grass. When they get up to 6 hrs straight, we let them out all day and they do fine.

We are having problems with Rosso. He is a bit of a nancy-boy. He will NOT stay in the pasture in the evenings due to bugs. He has a mesh horse sheet on to protect his delicate skin from the bugs, he gets sprayed with bug spray and yet he can NOT stand to be in the pasture when the bugs are beginning to arrive. Seriously - he goes completely apeshit. I'm worried that he's not getting in his aclimating hours because during the week we can't be home to let him in after 4 hrs is up and during the week, we get home late enough that he spends most of his time hiding in his lean-to vs. out in the pasture with the other two horses. I tried letting them all out for a couple hours this morning with Furry Husband letting them in before he went to work and we'll let them out a couple hours tonight too. Sheesh.

I have a horse clinic June 29th with a guy by the name of John Kummrow. He is an exercise therapy guy and has an excellent eye for body, posture, muscles. My trainer rode with him and consulted with him and he was able to pinpoint areas where she is weak and improve them. She said she couldn't get correct flying changes on her gelding and after the consult with John having her access different muscles, she got very consistant correct changes.

It'll be a little odd having a burly man watching my body that closely. Also, he uses pressure points ON your muscles to help you access those muscles and call them into action...so y'know to have some stranger-man touching me will be a little wierd. Oh, who am I kidding? I'll probably like it!