The Elusive Hay Wagon

Gosh, it's about time for an update. CMK was out of town for a few days, attending some meetings. C & C stepped in to help around the ranch, keeping the horses fed & watered. Thanks for your help C & C. Grandpa also did his part in keeping the ranch going. He went over the hill & made sure the garden was watered daily; he filled the old shepherd's mud holes to keep her cool; & he fed the little girls (the shepherd & her 2 GWP companions) their daily treat of biscuits. It seems Grandpa is always coming to the rescue. CMK was so surprised to find that while gone, Grey Girl had almost completely shed her foal bay coat & is now GREY. She's going to be a Cinderella white horse before she's very old. It's amazing to see an almost 3 month old who's already white grey. GG is as cute as they come with her bright, wide eyes & inquisitive nature. The weather has been a somewhat cooler & she can be seen flying around the pasture with her tail curled over her back. Filly has grown. She'll soon be 4 months old & is almost as tall as Mama. She's growing like the proverbial weed. She's such a little old soul & has that worldly look in her eyes. It's refreshing to see her run & play with GG & Blondi because at those times she's a baby. She & Blondi are so funny at feeding time because they chase the hay wagon & snatch bites of hay on the run. Filly pins her ears as she runs, mad that the wagon won't stop so she can eat. Sometimes CMK joins in the silly game & drives the hay wagon all over the pasture just so the fillies will chase the wagon. We're sure the neighbors wonder what's going on with all the laughter as they see horses flying in circles after the elusive hay wagon. Blondi has now been weaned. It was a smooth weaning with her mother just across the fenceline. Neither seemed to mind & both settled into their separate lives. A very quite mare was put in with the mommies & fillies so that Blondi will have an adult of her own. Eventually this mare will become the nanny for all as they are weaned. This weekend will be a working weekend because a creep feeder needs to be made so the fillies can be fed without the mares gobbling all the feed. Weanlings need a lot more feed once they can no longer nurse. A lot of time was spent scratching & playing with the fillies on Mon. They mauled CMK for attention. Being away from the ranch sure makes CMK appreciate being home.

Grandpa did some tattling on the fillies. It seems the little darlings have been busy pulling at the protective cloths that plug the vents on his motorhome. It's too bad he didn't have the camera in hand because it had to be cute watching them get into mischief. When they do naughty things their eyes just sparkle mischeiviously. As Grandpa was leaving to go into town, the fillies approached his jeep to investigate. After he had talked to them he started to drive to the gate & noticed they were following him. He said they were cute following behind the jeep & he was even amused when he had to pop a plastic bag to chase them away from the gate. Those silly fillies would have followed him right out the gate if he'd let them. And of course Grandpa has a soft spot for Filly because he's done so much to help her get to where she is today. Without him Filly's leg wouldn't have healed so straight. Just when CMK starts to think everything is going well, Blondi's momma decides to get into something that disturbs a hornest nest (maybe meat bees, yellow jackets or wasps). She has multiple sting spots & a lot of swelling from her ear down to her jawline, a couple on her chest & neck, & even one behind her withers. The one at the withers is seeping but the swelling has gone down. The multiple spots on her head are starting to abcsess so the poor mare is looking a bit pathetic. CMK is just destined to be a horse nurse.

A Mary Poppins Day!!!

Filly is really blossoming. She's running & playing, bucking & rearing, & even leads the charge when the fillies run up the hill. She's become very confident & assertive, & is now Boss of the Babies. She even tries to boss the grown ups. Silly Filly!

On Saturday Filly was taking a nap close to the fence & when she woke, she managed to get tangled in thehotwire, which fortunately wasn't hot. Before CMK could get to her she had gotten herself loose. CMK had run through the gate without closing it & Filly took advantage, running into the yard. She whinnied for Mama & got no response. She was wide eyed as she investigated the roses & fruit tree. After a few minutes she whinnied again. When Mama didn't answer Filly started to get scared. At last she spun around & flew past CMK with tail flagging. Up the hill she ran & when she got to Mama, she reared & jumped on her, telling her she was a bad mommy for not answering. What a spitfire she's become.

It was so cute on Sunday to see the three fillies laying in the sand pile. They were napping head to tail in a circle. It was so nice & warm they didn't even get up when the hay truck arrived. Finally they got up & curiosity led them to the hay barn. They were so funny running in & out of the barn, checking out the new hay. They would run through the barn & then race around it, coming back to do the same thing again. Of course they had to snatch bites of hay as they played. Filly leads in the games because she's the bold one, knowing little fear.

A entire day could be spent watching the fillies. They're so entertaining, each with their own personalities & place within the herd. A "nanny" was introduced into the mare & filly herd to facilitate ease of weaning. Weanlings do a lot better when they have an adult to guide them. Blondi was enthralled with the nanny & wanted to be friends, following closely behind. Being the oldest she'll be weaned soon so it was good to see that she likes her nanny. Filly on the other hand did not like the interloper at all & went up to her with pinned ears & a snarly face. Nanny is so wonderful she chose to ignore Filly, invalidating her little snit. Grey Girl was shy & stayed close to Mommy Dearest. At one point in the day Filly was at the bottom of pasture when she whinnied for Mama. Nanny raised her head & trotted down to check on Filly. The fillies are fortunate to have a mare like Nanny to care for them.

Busy Bees!!!

Fencing, fencing, fencing... CMK put up 300 feet of fencing with the help of some little four hoofed workers. As work was being done on the fence-line Filly, Grey Girl, & Blondi followed along on the other side, checking out the work. They made cute little supervisors, chewing on the supplies to make sure everything was good quality. Grey Girl wasn't very helpful when she tested out the quality of work by rubbing her fanny on the fence before it was clipped to the posts. Poor CMK had to start the stretching process over after chasing fillies away. The fence would have gone up a lot faster if the hoofed workers had taken the day off.

At the end of the day the vet came out for routine work on a couple of other horses. After that was done it was time to check out the mares & fillies. The vet was amazed at how well everyone is looking. Compliments flowed about how well Filly is doing & how amazing it is that she's survived, let alone how well her legs are doing. She still has some soft swelling in her knees, but it's reabsorbing very well & it won't be long before it's completely gone. All in all, Filly is doing awesome. It was a great day having fun with the fillies.

Attention Getter

Friday the 7th gave us a look at the bratty side of Filly. The gate had been opened between pastures at feeding time so the hay wagon could make its rounds. Filly took the opportunity to go exploring in the next pasture over. She didn't care that Mama, Mommy Dearest, & Grey Girl were where they all belonged, eating dinner like good horses. Filly explored the pasture top to bottom & hung out under the trees half way up. When feeding was done, CMK tried to shepherd Filly down to the gate so she could rejoin her herd. She was such a good filly, NOT! She followed CMK most of the way to the gate & then sprinted back to the top of the pasture. Next she allowed herself to be guided almost to the gate & then off she ran again. It's time to get her halter broke, that's for sure. It seemed the only other option was to catch Mama & lead her to the other pasture & hope Filly would follow. As CMK started to go get a halter, Filly let out a loud whinny & raced down the pasture, through the gate & up to the hay feeders. What a brat! All along she knew how to get back where she belonged. She just didn't want to. Fillies can be fun, but fillies can also try one's patience.

On Saturday pasture gates were opened for harrowing so the mares & fillies were able to run & explore over 12 acres. They had so much fun zig zagging in & out of the trees. The fillies made a game out of running into other pastures, leaving their mothers worried over where they were hiding. Grey Girl is the best at that because Mommy Dearest gets so upset & frantic when she loses sight of her filly. GG hides & whinnies, causing MD to run around looking for her. Mama is very low keyed & doesn't get upset when Filly goes exploring so Filly has a lot of freedom. Filly was seen with her ears pinned, chasing poor Blondi away from the apples they had been given for treats. Filly sure likes her treats & wasn't going to share. She's a very spoiled filly.

There were several visitors who stopped by on Sat. Filly knew they all had come to see her & she demanded attention. She loved all the scratching sessions & followed everyone around. Blondi also got her share of the attention but Grey Girl was shy & stayed away. When the visitors had all left, GG demanded CMK give her just as much scratching as the visitors gave Filly & Blondi. She's a pretty demanding filly when she wants to be.

Sunday was trim day for Filly. Trimmer said her feet are getting better, but they still have a way to go. Her hooves are growing out of balance from the stress & strain of the splints & her awkward gait until now. It'll take time to get Filly in balance but she's improving daily. She was so good for her trimming. She stands better than some adult horses. She's so cute in her little halter, pretending to be a grown up. She loves attention, no matter the form of attention. No wonder everyone loves her.

Happy Birthday at 3 Months

Happy, happy, happy 3 month birthday Filly! You've come a long way & you're FABULOUS!!

Yes, Filly is 3 months old today. What a long, hard odessey she's endured in her short life. She's overcome some unsurmountable odds, even beginning before she was born. Being born to a severely ill Mama made her survival doubtfull at best. When the delivery became a distocia it was thought Filly wouldn't be born alive & Mama would be lost. Then came the severe contraction & the side effects of the treatment. Through it all Filly never gave up. There were days when she was so depressed it was thought she was done. She'd rebound & all would be well for a few days before she'd suffer yet another relapse. Then at last Filly took an upward turn & never looked back. Today, 3 months after her arrival, she's a healthy, happy, running & bucking foal who enjoys life. She's such a lovable, personable filly & makes sure all visitors give her a good scratch. She's the light of CMK's life. She's the miracle filly. She's the joy that makes all the tough times worth it.

Happy 3 Month Day Filly!

Mischief Gone Mad 8/5

Filly is growing up in little ways. Her personality is blossoming & she's gaining self-confidence. At feeding time she was caught pinning her ears at Blondi. Not only did she pin her ears, she chased Blondi away from her hay. Has she been around Mommy Dearest too long? LOL It's really good seeing her have some gumption. Grey Girl no longer bosses her around either. GG is now quite content to follow Filly everywhere.

Grey Girl is so full of mischief. She & Filly ran around & finally stopped in the shelter. When Mommy Dearest called, GG called but didn't come out. MD called louder & still GG wouldn't come out of hiding. When she answered MD it sounded as if she was saying "I don't have to, so there!". It was really quite funny to watch her flip her nose in the air when she answered. Finally MD left her hay & went looking for her errant filly. Just as she got to the shelter, Filly & GG sprinted out with tails flying. Such bratty little girls having fun.

A friend stopped by & was quite impressed with Filly's progress. He hadn't seen her in the 2 weeks since she's been splint & wrap free. He was amazed to see that her legs are normal & that she's finally using them without the uncoordination. Filly really enjoyed the scratching session, stretching her neck over his shoulder & making funny faces because it felt so good. It's fun having people see Filly now that she's well, especially people who have been watching her since birth. They can share in the joy of her success.

Extra Space and Some New Friends

Today Filly & Grey Girl got to meet the other filly at CMK's. Blondi is 5 months old. The three mares & fillies were put out on a 7 acre pasture. Filly was so bold & curious. She marched right up to Blondi, causing Blondi to run. A little later Filly approached Blondi again & this time Blondi pinned her ears. Then both fillies were clacking their teeth at each other in submission. It was so cute. Filly wanted to be friends but Blondi wasn't so sure & stayed close to her mother. Grey Girl wanted nothing to do with the new horses. She kept hiding behind Mommy Dearest. MD was in fine form, pinning her ears & trying to bite Blondi. All three fillies had a good time running & playing, just not with each other. Because the mares all get along, it was decided to leave the mares & fillies on pasture together. It will be so good for Filly & Grey Girl to have more room to run & grow. It's also good for Blondi to finally have another foal to play with. The highlight of today was that the 7 acre pasture goes up onto Grandpa's property & he was all smiles when he saw he had fillies. He couldn't believe that Filly was really running around his house. He's been there for her since the beginning & he was just amazed to see her running & playing. I don't think he ever thought he'd see the day. I'm sure CMK never thought the day would come either. But the day is here & there are fillies everywhere.

Stretching the Legs and Playing Tag

What a fun weekend. The mares & fillies got to go out on a 5 acre pasture for the first time. The fillies took in all the wonders, checking out the many trees & rocks.


Filly had great fun playing in the new water trough, complete with huge goldfish. She splashed & played while the goldfish nibbled at her whiskers.


They appeared to be playing a game of tag. Filly & Grey Girl ran & even got Mama & Mommy Dearest to run a little. The best sight was Filly actually trotting for more than a few steps. She stretched her legs out & trotted. Up until now her legs have been too weak and/or uncoordinated to trot. Not any more. What a lovely trot. Filly also investigated who the horses were on the new fence lines. She's quite the curious little girl. Grey Girl had no inclination to investigate the other horses. She stayed close to Mommy Dearest or followed Filly investigating the trees, rocks & water trough. The weather was nice & even Mama seemed to enjoy having room for a little run. The fillies were very cute prancing & flagging their tails in high spirits. On Thursday Filly will be three months old. How time seems to have flown now that she's a wonderful, normal, happy filly.