Bruce
Herd Master
Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along
- Thread starter Ridgetop
- Start date
Rammy
Herd Master
Im so sorry. I lost my horse, Chase, two years ago on May15th. Found her down in her stall. She was fine the night before. No words can explain how you feel when you lose something you loved so much. So very sorry. 
Senile_Texas_Aggie
Herd Master
- Thread starter
- #214
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Thanks for all your kind wishes. I took a bit of tail hair from her. I always keep a little and tie it up in a ribbon -I am almost embarrassed to admit it because I like to think of myself as a hard hearted met raiser but . . . .
Sweet Cammie was actually 31 and a half years old! I pulled her papers in her file when I put the tail piece in her file. Here is a picture collage from a camping trip to Montana de Oro 10 years ago. It is a horse camp in the mountains overlooking the ocean with both mountain trails and beach riding. Our local ETI group goes every August for a week. DH and DS2 loaded the camper on the truck, I hitched my stock trailer, loaded Cammie and our gear, and drove the 5 hours to camp. Just Cammie, me and about 15 other ETA members. What a fun trip! my friend and I got lost on a series of trails when the wind blew away our trail map! I will never forget the look on her face as the map swirled away and we and were left looking at the scrap she was clutching. We finally found our way back to camp. The other picture is of my darling Dazzle as a yearling. She was my very first horse and I loved her to death. She was 32 when she died.
I was blessed with both of these horses. They taught me a lot and I became a better rider from dealing with both these opinionated ladies. They were both sweet tempered and willing to do whatever I asked but that didn't stop them from having PMS fits often enough to keep me on my toes. More fun to ride! I have a painting at the foot of my bed of a trail winding through piney woods into a distant meadow and I think of them traveling that trail into heaven. They will be waiting for me with all my dogs when it is my turn to follow that trail.
Ok, on to happy news! All of my ewes are pregnant and due on various dates between the end of October and December before Christmas. No since I used a marking harness and we were diligent about checking them and writing the dates on the calendar, I have all the dates noted. The reason there is a big spread is that they remarked several times. Since I wrote all the remark dates down though, I will be able to lock them up when they approach that date, if no lamb they can go out again. I will check udder tissue too before putting them in the lambing pens. So much easier than counting the ewes wen they come in at night, and then climbing into the gully to locate the ewe. Carrying a couple of lamb up that steep ravine is rough. You actually need 1 hand to help you up, but you need 2 hands to carry the lamb or lambs. Then you need a 4th hand to catch yourself as you start to fall back down the slope. The ravine seems to be magical, each lamb gains 10 lbs. in the time it takes to reach the top! LOL
I am attaching pictures of the ewes. You can tell the new Dorpers from the Dorsets. The Dorsets are 3 years old now and fully mature, also they are growing more wool. The Dorpers were yearling ewes and are just starting to grow back their wool. The ram is easily identified - no that is not a poorly attached udder!
Bubba is in some of the pictures - he loves his sheep.
Yes, Bubba is that big! Just love these Dorpers - they are so sweet. I haven't named my sheep in years, just ear tag numbers, but I am going to have to now. These are not bottle babies, or trained show sheep, they were raised in the field on mom, but unbelievably tame! 7088 walked right up to be petted, then followed me from place as I did a few chores, asking for more petting. 7040 is a little more shy, but also came right up to be touched. The ram is docile and comes up to DH and DS1. Our current Dorsets were pretty wild but after being with these gentle sweet Dorpers, they are even more mellow! So 7080 will be "Sweetie", trite but that is what I called her when I was petting her. I need a name for 7041. I think I will let my 5 year old granddaughter name the ewe lamb 8040. The ram lamb is Lamborghini. They are penned separately since I don't want the ewe lamb bred till she is a yearling and I don't want to run 2 rams with breeding ewes! Especially a mature ram and a baby. 
I think I will call the older ram Lewis, since that is the breeder and I don't have any other Lewis Dorpers yet. Now just to think of a name for 7041. I have to get out with them more to see if there is a way to identify which one is which. I can usually tell after a while - different shape to the body, expression, etc. Can't wait to see the lambs!
Sweet Cammie was actually 31 and a half years old! I pulled her papers in her file when I put the tail piece in her file. Here is a picture collage from a camping trip to Montana de Oro 10 years ago. It is a horse camp in the mountains overlooking the ocean with both mountain trails and beach riding. Our local ETI group goes every August for a week. DH and DS2 loaded the camper on the truck, I hitched my stock trailer, loaded Cammie and our gear, and drove the 5 hours to camp. Just Cammie, me and about 15 other ETA members. What a fun trip! my friend and I got lost on a series of trails when the wind blew away our trail map! I will never forget the look on her face as the map swirled away and we and were left looking at the scrap she was clutching. We finally found our way back to camp. The other picture is of my darling Dazzle as a yearling. She was my very first horse and I loved her to death. She was 32 when she died.
I was blessed with both of these horses. They taught me a lot and I became a better rider from dealing with both these opinionated ladies. They were both sweet tempered and willing to do whatever I asked but that didn't stop them from having PMS fits often enough to keep me on my toes. More fun to ride! I have a painting at the foot of my bed of a trail winding through piney woods into a distant meadow and I think of them traveling that trail into heaven. They will be waiting for me with all my dogs when it is my turn to follow that trail.
Ok, on to happy news! All of my ewes are pregnant and due on various dates between the end of October and December before Christmas. No since I used a marking harness and we were diligent about checking them and writing the dates on the calendar, I have all the dates noted. The reason there is a big spread is that they remarked several times. Since I wrote all the remark dates down though, I will be able to lock them up when they approach that date, if no lamb they can go out again. I will check udder tissue too before putting them in the lambing pens. So much easier than counting the ewes wen they come in at night, and then climbing into the gully to locate the ewe. Carrying a couple of lamb up that steep ravine is rough. You actually need 1 hand to help you up, but you need 2 hands to carry the lamb or lambs. Then you need a 4th hand to catch yourself as you start to fall back down the slope. The ravine seems to be magical, each lamb gains 10 lbs. in the time it takes to reach the top! LOL
I am attaching pictures of the ewes. You can tell the new Dorpers from the Dorsets. The Dorsets are 3 years old now and fully mature, also they are growing more wool. The Dorpers were yearling ewes and are just starting to grow back their wool. The ram is easily identified - no that is not a poorly attached udder!
Bubba is in some of the pictures - he loves his sheep. Yes, Bubba is that big! Just love these Dorpers - they are so sweet. I haven't named my sheep in years, just ear tag numbers, but I am going to have to now. These are not bottle babies, or trained show sheep, they were raised in the field on mom, but unbelievably tame! 7088 walked right up to be petted, then followed me from place as I did a few chores, asking for more petting. 7040 is a little more shy, but also came right up to be touched. The ram is docile and comes up to DH and DS1. Our current Dorsets were pretty wild but after being with these gentle sweet Dorpers, they are even more mellow! So 7080 will be "Sweetie", trite but that is what I called her when I was petting her. I need a name for 7041. I think I will let my 5 year old granddaughter name the ewe lamb 8040. The ram lamb is Lamborghini. They are penned separately since I don't want the ewe lamb bred till she is a yearling and I don't want to run 2 rams with breeding ewes! Especially a mature ram and a baby. I think I will call the older ram Lewis, since that is the breeder and I don't have any other Lewis Dorpers yet. Now just to think of a name for 7041. I have to get out with them more to see if there is a way to identify which one is which. I can usually tell after a while - different shape to the body, expression, etc. Can't wait to see the lambs!Attachments
- Thread starter
- #215
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Strange! Why is there a picture of my washer and dryer posted? I wonder what picture I meant to post. I wanted to post a picture of Cammy but when I scanned the photo it became a PDF file and wouldn't upload.
This is the photo collage I did after e went to Montana de Oro. Not really large enough. The one below is my Dazzle as a yearling. I miss them both.
And Josie The Mule, who is pining and calling for her missing buddy.
Now here are some pix of the barn during our cleaning and dismantling, getting ready for the new lambing pens.
During
Almost done
Our barn is only 24' wide x 36' long. That was the entire flat area available. Can you tell that DH worked for a power company? The brn is build of cross srms. The DWP training center as moving from one location to another and ere getting rid of all the cross arms and pole butts at that location. We made lots of trips bringing home all the cross arms and pole butts we could. That heavy creosote soaking has kept them solid for over 30 years. Although the barn is small, we are the envy of our friends because hardly anyone here has an actual barn. Most people just have 12' x 24' pipe corrals with partial covers and small open sheds for their other animals. The weather is not severe enough to need a barn. Our horses are lucky to be loose on 5 acres and we rarely put them inside a barn stall. Actually the last time we used the barn for horses was when Jubilee foaled 10 years ago and we took the center panel out to make a 12' x 24' foaling stall. Then she was outside and foaled on the field after all those weeks of bringing her in, wrapping her tail, and pampering her! DS3 carried the foal inside while DS2 led Jubilee in. She got confused and kept ting to return to the field and foaling puddle thinking her baby was there! DH did the whole imprinting thing and had a lot of fun with both of them. He never really enjoyed riding because of his bad knee but loved imprinting, halter breaking, trailer training, etc. The foal turned into a lovely TWH mare. Pitch black like her mother. We had her professionally trained, and she won a lot of ribbons with the trainer's students on her. DH gave her to our DIL last year because all her new riding buddies in Nipomo have Rocky Mountain horses which are supposed to be gaited. She is the envy of that whole crowd because they have to make their horses gait. ??? All my TWHs gaited naturally even when crossing the pasture. Skittles just goes down the trail at a nice fast or slow walk naturally. DIL adores her, even though she and DH3 have 3 other horses. Skittles is quickly becoming her favorite. The others are quarter horses and will be great for the grandchildren once they start riding. I don't approve of TWHs for kids because they want to do gymkhana, jumping, cowboying, etc. TWHs are for nice fast trail riding by people who appreciate their fabulous smooth gait. Kids just want to go fast, at least mine always did. LOL
Well, all this talking about the horses, sheep, and barn has cheered me up. Very cathartic! G'night y'all.
Now here are some pix of the barn during our cleaning and dismantling, getting ready for the new lambing pens.
Our barn is only 24' wide x 36' long. That was the entire flat area available. Can you tell that DH worked for a power company? The brn is build of cross srms. The DWP training center as moving from one location to another and ere getting rid of all the cross arms and pole butts at that location. We made lots of trips bringing home all the cross arms and pole butts we could. That heavy creosote soaking has kept them solid for over 30 years. Although the barn is small, we are the envy of our friends because hardly anyone here has an actual barn. Most people just have 12' x 24' pipe corrals with partial covers and small open sheds for their other animals. The weather is not severe enough to need a barn. Our horses are lucky to be loose on 5 acres and we rarely put them inside a barn stall. Actually the last time we used the barn for horses was when Jubilee foaled 10 years ago and we took the center panel out to make a 12' x 24' foaling stall. Then she was outside and foaled on the field after all those weeks of bringing her in, wrapping her tail, and pampering her! DS3 carried the foal inside while DS2 led Jubilee in. She got confused and kept ting to return to the field and foaling puddle thinking her baby was there! DH did the whole imprinting thing and had a lot of fun with both of them. He never really enjoyed riding because of his bad knee but loved imprinting, halter breaking, trailer training, etc. The foal turned into a lovely TWH mare. Pitch black like her mother. We had her professionally trained, and she won a lot of ribbons with the trainer's students on her. DH gave her to our DIL last year because all her new riding buddies in Nipomo have Rocky Mountain horses which are supposed to be gaited. She is the envy of that whole crowd because they have to make their horses gait. ??? All my TWHs gaited naturally even when crossing the pasture. Skittles just goes down the trail at a nice fast or slow walk naturally. DIL adores her, even though she and DH3 have 3 other horses. Skittles is quickly becoming her favorite. The others are quarter horses and will be great for the grandchildren once they start riding. I don't approve of TWHs for kids because they want to do gymkhana, jumping, cowboying, etc. TWHs are for nice fast trail riding by people who appreciate their fabulous smooth gait. Kids just want to go fast, at least mine always did. LOL
Well, all this talking about the horses, sheep, and barn has cheered me up. Very cathartic! G'night y'all.
RollingAcres
Herd Master
Sorry for you loss....
Wehner Homestead
Herd Master
- Thread starter
- #218
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Hugs back at all of you. We all experience similar losses, I am not the only one and my heart goes out to all of you who have shared these losses and sent me sympathy.
Baymule
Herd Master
Loved the pictures. Thanks for sharing the memories.
Baymule
Herd Master
I have 9 ewes and one ram. They are all named. Even the lambs marked for slaughter have names-Dinner. 
Since we live in Lindale and that is the home of the country singer Miranda Lambert, we have a ewe named Miranda Lambert. We also have Lady Baa Baa, Ewenique, Domino, Lucy, Lily, Eve, Lil' Cutie, Moon Pie and the ram is named Speckles.
Since we live in Lindale and that is the home of the country singer Miranda Lambert, we have a ewe named Miranda Lambert. We also have Lady Baa Baa, Ewenique, Domino, Lucy, Lily, Eve, Lil' Cutie, Moon Pie and the ram is named Speckles.
