Well we quietly slipped through the festive season without any dramas and managed to spend time at home together for more than 2 days in a row. Shift work has its advantages but during the week it’s just me entertaining the animals which can be scary if problems present and no Dale to help out. Thankfully no horrible moments that have required a call home but when funny stuff happens my phone version just isn’t the same as the seeing of the moment.

We had around 30mm of rain during the December period which gave us a great flush of green and feed for a few weeks but its back to the dust and hot humid days. With Pearl now 4 weeks away from birthing her next foal she’s really feeling the heat and on the really sizzily days when I let them into the yard for any pick that may be about, I’ve hosed her down for a bit of relief. Initially Reb’s and Duchess have shied away from the water leaving Pearl to “endure” the experience until they worked out it was actually rather nice to have a cool wash. Now the three of them hassle each other to stand before the spray, Pearl tolerates them to a point then stamps her foot and the two of them skedaddle, leaving her to soak up the water and position herself for maximum relief before doing the horse quiver from head to tail when we’re done. The trade off is that if we need to properly wash any of them, the process is greeted with enthusiasm now.

All the horses (including the minis) are looking terrific despite the heat and constant battle with the QLD itch. The Shires have all had their booster shots on Friday and the vet was impressed with their condition though we were warned to watch Pearl and try to reduce her weight over the next 4 weeks. Unbeknown to the vet Pearl has been on 1xbarley hay and 2 cups of feed a day for months and hasn’t shifted any weight, but she hasn’t gained any either. So little compared to 3/4 bucket/2x Lucerne/2x barley per day that Duchess is on, (she’s always hungry) and Rebs who gets 1/2 bucket/2x Lucerne/2x barley is content with this until his next growth spurt no doubt. We’ll be reducing Pearl to the 1 cup and the barley (no pick at the moment) to see if this will shift any weight before the birth but I suspect she’ll be much the same as she has been right through this pregnancy – plump and happy.

May 2010 looms closer and the Clydesdale Heavy Horse Field Day competitor packs have gone out heralding the beginning of the count down toward the event. With exciting partnerships in place this year we are quietly confident that our event will grow exponentially into a massive attraction for the Valley. Future plans with the new show grounds will enable so many more opportunities to present these working horses in all their glory.

Thankfully nothing really exciting to report, all are well, work is steady, it’s hot, the routine now set. I suspect until the foal is born we’ll just keep on keeping on. Snapped this today of Duchess pelting past the stable at full gallop looking for Pearl who’d snuck around to the mare paddock without her. Amazing the bond she has with this grumpy mare that bosses her about most of the time… he he. I don’t even think she is touching the ground at this moment. Then there is Pearl – 4 weeks to go….