Who, me?!

Well, it’s been official for some time now….we have TOO MANY horses!  I simply don’t have enough time to keep 10 horses trained & ridden, nor enough grass to keep them all fed.  So as much as I hate to say it…somebody’s gotta go!  And although our horses are an important part of our life here, the website ended up being mainly for our cattle, and I don’t have anything set up for selling horses on here.  So, I’m just going to have to do it this way, and put them up front & center.  We have sales pending on two right now, who were born & raised here on our farm.  And now I introduce to you, still available for purchase, the lovely….Babe.

An early spring day with most of winter's mud & hair cleaned off.

S’s Babe

She’s an 11yo bay mare, 14.2H, registered KMSHA #20020638.  Born June 5, 2000, Babe goes back to Buddy Roe & Dock on her sire’s side.

Babe is a really sweet mare; ranking pretty low in the herd, she’s a submissive spirit.  For a while she was somewhat a loner, but lately has befriended Hannah’s pony, Buttercup, and has unfortunately fallen victim to her uncivilized example.

Such a pretty girl....I mean the horse!

When working around/with Babe on the ground, she tends to worry about everything.  Detangler/fly spray, picking out her feet & trimming, leading from one footing surface to another, going in or through doorways, etc.  She doesn’t spook or freak out…just frets & worries.  She takes a good bit of patience & reassurance, especially when she hasn’t been handled for a while (like now).  I think with more consistent handling, she will settle down & be OK, because when I DO spend more time with her she gets better.  I just have too many horses & not enough time to spend with each individually.

A nice butt-shot, with her filly Moondance. All shed out & shiny.

When we bought Babe 3 yrs ago, she hadn’t been ridden in quite a while.  From what the previous owner told me, this is what I’ve pieced together of her life.  She was started under saddle at 2yo & ridden (don’t know how much) for a couple years.  They bought her when she was 4yo and rode her just a few times the first year or so.  They used her mainly as a brood mare, getting 2 foals out of her & giving her a year off in between.  She was 8yo when we bought her, and I bred her that year.

And a view from the front.

Fall of 2009, after her filly was weaned, I restarted her under saddle, using John Lyons’ methods.  She was a bit worried at first, but soon was doing just fine.  We’ve taken her on many trail rides since, and she does great!  She’s well-behaved, and really not spooky at all, in spite of worrying about other stuff at home.  She has a wonderfully smooth gait & is very nice to ride.  The only problem we’ve had is that she’s terribly out of shape, so after about half an hour she’s tuckered out & doesn’t want to gait anymore.  So she definitely needs some conditioning to build some muscle & endurance, and once again…I just don’t have time.

Following that blasted pony, who has decided it's time to get away from the human.

One major thing I had to work through with her was a severe trailer phobia.  Apparently, the last time the previous owner bred her, they had someone come from the breeding farm to pick her up & take her there.  She didn’t want to get in the guy’s open stock trailer, so he “cowboyed” her in, and apparently she had a really rough trip.  When we bought her, it took HOURS to get her in the trailer & when she finally did get in, she nearly sat her butt on the floor, then slammed herself against the side wall & just leaned there.  After we managed to get the divider over & she was a little more closed in, she settled down & did OK for the trip home.  So, I took my time working on “loading” her into a stall, through barn doors, onto platform & teeter-totter, etc., slowly working up to trailer loading lessons.  When we finished up last year, I had her loading & unloading fairly calmly & we took a very short practice drive.

We bought this beautiful girl for $1200 and I’m willing to let her go for that same price.  Or, if desired, she could be bred to our 3yo SMHA stallion, Marker’s Victory! Isaac, and sold in foal for $1500.  I just want a GOOD home for her.