Hidy hole...

#648's calf was the one that didn't seem 'normal'. He was slow to nurse, & I had to give him colostrum & then bottle feed him for several days before he finally started nursing mom. He also acted like he couldn't see or hear well. When I finally turned #648 & her calf back in with the herd (they had been in the barn for the duration of the bottle feeding), mom wisely hid him, putting him in a brushy area surrounded by blackberry bushes. She kept him this way for several days, until he was strong enough & savvy enough to come out into the real world. He seems to be doing better each day, & he is certainly growing.

Two Year Old Stallion

This is 'SP', short for Seve's Pushover. He is out of the World Champion TWH stallion, Seve, & his dam (mother) is out of another well bred stallion, The Pushover. He is definitely bred for performance & should have a chance to strut his stuff in the show ring. He is BIG, BLACK, & BEAUTIFUL. (He has not been stalled, but running outside in the pasture, so his coat is sunburned & bleached. When stalled, he will be coal black.) We haven't measured him yet, but he's probably already close to ... maybe over ... 16 hands, & he's only 2 yrs. old. He will continue to grow until he is 4-5 years old, so he will definitely be a TALL one. He is now old enough to start to work...all I need is the time & $$$ to train him!

Another birth

#218 blessed us with a calf on Oct. 24. As is typical, she is keeping her little one apart from the herd for the first few days.

Bulls babysit

Cows are notorious babysitters. It's not uncommon to see one or two cows with almost all the calves gathered around. They seem to take turns watching each other's babies so that they in turn can go forage unencumbered. But sometimes Papa takes over & gives the Moms a break--what a guy!

Calf update

I'm already three cows/calves behind! On 10/06, a black cow with some white on her face (ear tag fell off) gave birth to a black calf. Then, #210 (above) gave birth on 10/07 to another black calf. Today, #214, (second picture) gave birth to a little black bull calf.

Mop of a mane

No, this little guy is not Welsh...or at least MUCH Welsh. As near as I can figure, he is 7/8 Caspian as his mother is 1/4 Welsh & 3/4 Caspian, & his father is 100% Caspian. And as for the mane, well, it sorta does look like Rod Stewart...notwithstanding the cockleburrs in the foretop!
If only we could put him in a shampoo commercial!

Caspian yearling--Shovan's Showoff

This is our Caspian yearling, out of Shovan (sire) and Chinchilla (dam). Although Shovan is a purebred Caspian, Chinchilla is not: she's 1/4 Welsh. Therefore, we had immediate plans to geld this little guy as he is only 7/8's (?) purebred. We registered the little one from the get-go as a Part Caspian, but have held off on sending pictures & naming him until we knew exactly what color he's going to be. He was born bay, but his black legs, mane, & tail have lightened over time. It's hard to tell if he's just sun bleached or if he is indeed changing colors -- altho I've never seen a bay loose its black points before. At any rate, this little guy has a MOP of a mane, with equal hair on each side of his neck. He also possesses a super inquisitive nature. We hope to 'borrow' a kid as this little one ages so that he can reach his full potential as a jumper. Caspians are known for their agility, so we expect him to follow in the footsteps of his breed.

2 year old stallion

Seve's Pushover (barn name 'SP') is going to be a BIG horse. I need to get the measuring stick out, but just eyeballing him, I think he's already close to if not over 16 hands...& he will continue to grow for another year or two. He is going to be BIG, BLACK, & BEAUTIFUL. He also exhibits a huge overstride at liberty in the pasture; he'll definitely be a 'big lick' horse & needs to be in the showring to exhibit his talents.

Silver

Silver has been so happy this year as he has been turned out with two mares: Missouri Showtime, an American Saddlebred and Pushover's Heart of Gold, a Tennessee Walking Horse. Due to the extreme downturn in the horse market, we only allowed him to breed these two mares---but both should produce quality foals. Mo's foal can be registered as a Racking Horse (her father was a 5 gaited champion so she carries the racking gene), and Push's foal will be registered as a TWH. Both foals can also be registered in the Spotted Saddle Horse Assn. if they are spotted as Silver is registered in all three associations.

Mama cow cleans her baby...

#809 & her 10/06/09 calf...JUST born.

Banner Day for Babies!

Today was the best calving day ever...at least so far. Three calves were born within hours of each other - two at almost the same time! All three appear healthy, active, & alert. Here's the first cow to give birth today: #191 and her very pretty calf. Tomorrow I'll try to post pictures of the other two calves born today.

Busy birthing week...

Arriving on 9/26/09, calf # 3 belongs to #637. She's a great mother & has kept her baby segregated from the herd for almost a week.
Calf #4, a black bull, arrived on 9/29/09. I had to bottle feed him colostrum & milk replacer because he was too weak to stand, & when he did, he wandered off in the wrong direction even though mama, #648, was calling to him. I think he is blind & perhaps deaf. He also has a swollen right knee. Is this joint ill? Blind staggers? Dumb calf syndrome?

Calf #5 belongs to a cow that has lost
her ear tag. He arrived on 10/01/09.