We were lucky and missed the heavy snow that hit parts of Oklahoma this weekend. We only got about an inch and most of it was gone by evening. Tessa and Sandy were let out of the barn and they were so happy to be back with the main herd. First picture is of Hawk and Sonny who were playing yesterday afternoon. The second picture is of Jake, the mud ball. Jake likes to be outside while we are feeding and this was the result! He had to get in the tub before he could do anything else, lol. He is so good in the tub. Just sits in the water and lets us wash him off. Warmer today, maybe some of the mud will go away. We got lots of rain Friday and Friday night. Much needed and appreciated. We also had lots of tiny hail. The SE part of the state had tornado watches and the NW part of the state had blizzards. Mother nature is sure persnickidy sometimes. Well, the dogs are waiting for their breakfast so better get moving.

Check out this

http://americanherds.blogspot.com/

We went to see the Lipizzaner Stallions the other night at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, OK. This is the second time I've seen these beautiful stallions. The dressage part is always great but the "airs above ground" demonstration is just amazing. Not every stallion is capable of doing the maneuvers. The trainers watch the colts in the pastures and the ones that can do them, do them naturally on their own. These are the ones that are trained for the show. General Patton and the US Army saved these wonderful horses during WW II. There were 8 horses and riders, 7 of the riders were female. Did my heart good to see that. If you haven't seen them and they are near your area, it's worth the trip. Have a great weekend everyone.

I was probably wrong about Sweetheart being a TWH. I got some action shots of her yesterday and she was pacing! Hmmmm. May have to saddle her up and see what that feels like. A long time ago, I had a friend who had a mare that paced. She said it was a smooth ride. Back and forth at the trot instead of up and down. That might be nice. I did find some white hair on her.......in her mane. Maybe she is turning grey due to old age.

Left behind

Last night as Gary and I were watching the space station fly across the northern sky, I heard Pepper the goat calling out. I spoke to her through the screen and as usual, she "talked" to me. I knew the horses and donkeys had went to the north pasture and figured Buddy did too. Poor little Pepper got left behind somehow and she was lost. I went outside and she followed me to the barn where I put her up for the night. She was quite content to be in her barn. She's there tonight too. She is so small, I worry the coyotes will get her. We have lots of rabbits but they might not pass up an easy meal. The other picture is of Miss Kitty. She also adopted us back in MO. She is our barn cat. A great mouser. She has been spayed but not declawed. She sits on this shelf while we fix the feed buckets for the horses. She likes to help! LOL She and Pepper don't get along very well. She is the smallest adoptee here and Pepper likes to chase her. Kitty always gets away.

The picture on the top is of Tessa and Sanday. Soon they will have birthdays. Tessa will be 25 and Sandy 27. Happy Birthday girls. Our other grey horse, Rose turns 19, Sweetheart 20. We are all getting old here at Hawks Acres, lol. The guy in the bottom photo is the one who builds, constructs and repairs everything around here. He loves the equines as much as I do and I love him for it! Cloudy today, hopefully some rain on the way, we need it. The grass is getting greener. Trees are blooming as well as flowers. And, now this week it is to turn cooler again, arrrhhh. Come on Spring!

This is what happens when you sit on a small bank to take pictures. Pepper the goat wants to "talk", so does Spice. Hard to get pictures when they are in your lap! LOL. Yesterday, Gary showed me how to put out a big bale. He worries that he will lose his battle with cancer and leave me alone with the animals to take care of. I drove the big tractor up to the pasture with the big bale on the stinger and a hay ring attached to the bucket on the front of the tractor. Granted, I was moving very, very slowly. I got the bale placed, turned the tractor around and placed the ring on it. Done! Guess I could do it in an emergency if I had to. He said I did a great job. Figuring out all the levers and do-dads was the hard part but I did it. Guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. HA! I seriously hope, with God's grace that I never have to do it alone. That Gary will be around for a long time to come. Have a great weekend everyone.

March is here!

Well, March has come roaring in like a lion here in Oklahoma. Of course here, every month is like March as far as wind goes, lol. Today's temp should get in the mid 80's. Then we are looking at maybe some storms in a day or two. Great! Someone remind me why we moved to the middle of tornado alley????? Seriously, we are happy here, the critters seem happy here. I always smile when it's time to feed the horses and they come into the barn one at a time smacking their lips in anticipation of their food. We don't have to feed the younger ones much but they act like it's a full course meal. Now the older ones get a full ration of course. The mature ladies need more as their teeth aren't as good as when they were younger. We have three in their late teens, two in their twenties so they need a little special care. Have ordered the fly predators to help with those pesky flies. They will be arriving soon, they do their job very well. Jake the new dog goes to the vet this afternoon to get his blood test for heart worm before we start him on the monthly preventative. He just makes us laugh every day. He is so full of fun! Have a great weekend everyone.