Lightning!

Thunder and Lightning while Luke and Leia were out today! Boy, did they have a great time!

Scratchies

Luke loves to be scratched just at the back of where a saddle sits.

Leia loves to be scratched just at the back of where a saddle sits.

There is a solution!

Perspective

Luke is somewhat concerned that Leia may be gaining on him.  While he loves his sister, well like a sister, he still seems concerned that she may look down on him at some point.  Actually, we think he is concerned at this point.  What do you think?

Leia the Flying Horse

Leia is getting more and more fit, learning various parts of groundwork under Instructor Ryan's kind tutelage.  She is also a young horse, and now that her feet feel better, full of energy.  In fact, she can almost fly!

Leia Lunging

Princess Leia's foot is doing very well.  She is ever so happy to be out of her foot wrap!  Now,  a new experience for her, lunging.  She is too young to ride, but not too young to start learning.  Like Luke, she is gaining experience with being saddled up and the basics of walk, trot and canter.  She has a lovely prancing quick gate.  It seems she will be a very smooth rider.  And, so long as you scratch her, a friend for life!

The little horses are getting better and better and bigger and bigger!

We have been very busy, there are millions of pictures, but none of them got on line.  Princess Leia's feet have healed.  She had about 10 abscesses on her right hind foot.  Farrier Roger trimmed down the foot, Vet Dr. Joeleen did her magic and after weeks of dressing changes, Princess Leia appears to be almost totally sound of foot now.

Luke is growing fast and cheeky.  Both of them are now very friendly, they come up to you hoping to be scratched.  That has both its good and bad sides.  They are like giant puppies, but giant is the operative word.  Plus, it is hard to get work done with them continually wanting to be scratched!

Now they both look like horses, not sticks.  No longer to they view us as monsters who want to eat them, but rather family who have food for them.  Lots of food, we might add!

Luke and Leia both can be lead around with no problems.  Luke in particular is responding to training, do lunging and the like all saddled up with a bridle and all!  Both of them are very smart and want to do well.

The Otter, that would be Ryan Hopkins, is doing a great job training them!

The Princess' Feet

When she came to us, Princess Leia had very tender rear feet.  Well, you cannot look at feet you cannot hold up.  Five hours of persistence paid off.  Ryan got a halter on Leia.  But, check her feet?  Not in this lifetime, or so we thought.  Turns out she really is okay with foot checking!  Good thing, too.

Now to schedule a checkup with Roger deChamplain, the farrier.

Luke and the Halter!

Ryan Hopkins, our friend, instructor and trainer, got Luke' halter on him in just about two hours!  Ryan, who is also known as Otter, is a slippery energetic fellow.  He has a way with horses.  Somehow they love him in the end and cannot shake him in the interim.

On arrival

When Luke and Leia got here, they did not have names and as you can see were skin and bones.  Audrey called them Max and Gypsy Rose.  Jack thought Luke and Leia would be better.  After a bit, Luke and Leia it is.   Luke is the clown, always doing something a bit odd.  Leia is truly Princess Leia.  She wants to be part of the action, but cannot bring herself to join in yet!

21 May 2010 - Luke and Leia join us

Jack has been riding for about seven months.  We have a horse, Buttercup.  She is a beautiful, well mannered and very nice mare with a tremendous amount of training in her past.  

But, Audrey found Luke and Leia on a feed lot, they were going to be eaten.  Two little horses, about a year old.  They should not be eaten.  So, Audrey rescued them and we adopted them.  Luke is the beige clown, Leia is the black and white Princess with very sore feet.