Harpole Farms News

Sold Horses

2008-09-12T15:12:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone. Just to let you all know, Mowgli is on his way to his new home right now! I will miss that little guy, who is going to grow up to be a big guy... Also, Missy and weaned Wendy have been sold too! They are going to a loving show home, and Missy will probably have a couple of babies for them. They are so excited about getting these two! Apparently the lady has had Missy's picture as her screen saver on her computer at work for a while! How cute is that? I will be pretty sad when Missy goes, but she couldn't be going to a more loving home, so Im thrilled at that! I have no idea what the herd is going to think when their boss mare leaves, they may wander around aimlessly for a couple of days. Ha! Im sure Ruth will take over, since she was the boss mare before Missy got here about four years ago.

As you all probably know, we haven't sold Banner. I think we are going to keep him like we kept Scout. He is just so flashy and has such a sweet lovable personality, I think he will be an awesome riding horse. I will have my dream english horse (Scout) and now I will have my dream western horse too! I have been practicing loading in and out of the trailer with the horses, and it's definitely Banner's favorite "toy". Its so cute. Everyone get ready for all this rain that is coming to Texas! Taylor

So Sorry!!!

2008-09-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I apologize for not being good blogger (sniffle, sniffle). Honestly, during the summer I really do forget to update it. So I am very sorry!

All the horses are doing great! Did I tell you we sold Scottie and Leo? Well, we did! (To two different homes.) I was of course upset, like I always am, but they went to great homes. Leo went to am awesome family that loves him so much, and they call and give us updates often, which I absolutely love for them to do that. They love Leo's calm nature and are so pleased with the way we develop our foals they decided to buy Mowgli too!!! He is still here and just got gelded, so he is going to need a week or so to recoup before we seen him off.

I have been working with the three foals (Tramp, Wendy, and Mowgli) almost every day. They are haltered, Led, Tied, groomed, and played with. They always fight over who gets to be caught first! You guys should see Wendy, holy cow, she is GORGEOUS! Wow, I wish she had a spot or was a quarter horse! She is the best foal Missy has ever had. Oh and guess what, Wendy's brother (Omaha) is now a Reserve World Champion!!! Good Job Missy! He is going be shown again this fall, and I can't wait to see how it goes.

Scout is doing great, I am working with her daily, and she is progressing so well. She is going off to be started under saddle next month by a friend of mine that is a high level student in Parelli Natural Horsemanship! I am so excited, and relieved I am not doing it myself, LOL. I hope everyone had a great summer, and I can't wait for the cool weather of fall!

Im Back!

2008-07-10T08:53:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. Whew, I am so tired after my vacation, maybe it is the long drive. I am so glad to be home with all the horses. Somehow, they all seemed to gain so much weight while I was gone... Oh well. I have some new happening around here to report. First off, Leo and Scottie have been sold to two great homes! I hate selling horses, but I can't keep them all! ;)

And a really big announcement, Missy is now a Reserve World Champion producer!!! My boy Omaha was tied for first place, and how they chose him for reserve champ is beyond me... I really thought he would win by a mile... Maybe I am a little biased... Ha! But I am so proud of him, and Missy!

All the foals are great. They all sprung right up in the air while I was gone, especially Wendy, she is huge! All three foals look amazing, but Tramp and Mowgli haven't completely shed out yet, so their hair is a little funny looking at the moment... :) Hope everyone is having a great week! Bye, Taylor

Pics of Aurora

2008-06-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Man, it is so hot here... It is terrible. Some of the horses, Scout, Leo, and Mowgli, enjoy being hosed off during the day, but you have to catch the other horses to cool them off. I guess they haven't figured out that water is a good thing yet! All the babies are doing great. Tramp is still my sweet lovey boy, and just so quiet. Yesterday I was playing with his feet, and leading him around, and he is just great, though, he is a BIG momma's boy! Wendy has just blown up, she has so much muscle, and looks so awesome! She is so funny, and is very independent. Her and Mowgli are best buds. And Mowgli is still my "wild" jungle boy, ha ha! He is so playful and always wants to be scratched, and will chase you down for a rub. He is hilarious, and such a cute mover. He is finally shedding out, and is very roany like all of Fix's foals, underneath all that foal hair. Miss Aurora is doing great, she is at Jimmie Hardin's barn, and looking fantastic. Everyone loves her sweet personality, and calm nature. She is so easy to train and teach. Her are some pics of her. Im going on vacation for a couple of weeks, and I will really miss my ponies, but I doubt they really care all that much, Ha! Have a great week, Taylor

Ugh, Summer Heat

2008-05-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I think the title says it all. I do hate these Texas summers, they are just awful. I seriously need to move! lol. All the horses are good, they are staying cool in the shade, and those who like water allow me to hose them off without halters or lead ropes on them. A few of the horses swim in the pond, Scout, Classi (my retired jumping mare), Fixation, Ruth, and sometimes Leo. All the foals pretty much hate water except Mowgli, though, he doesn't really like getting hosed off. I am going to start working with the foals this summer, they are pretty good about getting halters on, but their leading needs some work. Wendy is great, but the boys are so suborn. Tramp has trouble because he can be a little air headed, and Mowgli is just a fire cracker, always wanting to play, run, and buck with the "grown-up" horses, like Scout, Leo and Banner... It is so funny. Scout is so big, Mowgli looks like her foal when they are grazing together. I sat on Scout the other day, it felt so good, a perfect fit! lol. I was sitting on a huge log and had her with me (with a halter and led rope on) and decided she was calm enough to sit on, so I just did it. Since I haven't practiced it with her all that often, I didn't enjoy it to long, and decided to slide off. lol. Better safe than sorry. She is only two, for those who are wondering who Scout is. Ok, Summer is just around the corner!!! Who else is ready for summer, minus the heat? Taylor

My Sweet Boy Fletcher

2008-05-17T12:21:00.001-07:00

Well, yesterday we had a very sad day here at the farm. My sweet, big boy Fletcher had to be put down. I am still very upset, and its very hard to write this at the moment. Fletcher was a full sibling to Scout, and Mowgli. He was a tall lanky gelding with lots of white. He was always me quiet boy, out of the three Fixation foals, very cuddly and calm. Fletch was an awesome mover, though, he was pretty clumsy as his legs were so long.

About three days ago, I noticed his front right leg was swollen, and he was having difficulty moving in a straight line, for a long period of time. He was wobbling around like he was drunk and not himself. My first instinct was that he was bitten by a snake, or had strained his leg. With in the next two days, the swelling wasn't going down, so our vet came down to see what was going on. Well, by that day Fletcher was really bad, he was falling over, and having a lot of difficulty just getting up after his falls. That day we could now see that he had some swelling a couple of inches back near his ears on his neck, only on the right side. Dr Spencer said he either fractured a vertebrae or bruised a couple. He received some medicine. But soon after praying and praying it was just a bruise he fell, and couldn't get his back legs to move when trying to get up. He was down for 5 hours. I sat with him all day, giving him water, hosing him off, and keeping the bugs away. Unfortunately, as each hour passed, he was losing feeling in his legs, and they weren't moving. He was my brave boy, letting me do what ever I needed to him, and was just as calm as he always is. Poor Scout was so upset that her brother wouldn't follow the herd, and stayed with him for hours and hours. Sometimes his breathing would get really slow and shallow, I was so convinced he was just going to pass away in my arms. I couldn't see him laying out there all night, so we called the vet, and we all agreed it was time to send him home. He was humanely euthanized, and buried on our property. I am still really upset, even though I know he is out of pain now. He was a great horse, and he was only a yearling. I will miss him so much. Taylor

Update

2008-05-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry, it has been a while since my last update!!! It has been nice not having to be on the computer all the time though! All the foals are doing great. Tramp, the poor dear, looks so silly, he has patches of fur all other the place he is trying to shed off. But, he is really bulking up, he looks really nice. Wendy, is my sweet girl, she is a snuggler. She is always the first foal to come and see you. And of course Mowgli, my firecracker! He is a hoot, just like his sister and brother.... Though, he leans more towards Scout personality. Mo isn't afraid of anything, and boy, he has big pretty movement! Within a couple of days of his birth, he was sprinting around, having poor Fixation chase him ever where! Fixation doesn't put up with the other horses playing with her boy though, she only tolerates Scout and Fletcher, only the family, lol. Aurora is doing really well, her crazy curly mane is not laying down!!! (It runs in her mother's side of the family, LOL, poor Sis's man stood up ALL her life.) I will try to get some pictures this week, it is kind of rainy and cloudy today though.

Oops, Its A COLT (PICS)

2008-04-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

Well, Fixation decided to wait and foal outside today, thankfully, we caught her in the act. She needed help, so its a good thing we were there! I am very sorry everyone missed it, I almost missed it! LOL. I am just glad he is healthy. He came out gasping for breath, and sounded like he had water up his nose, it was a little scary for a few minutes. He is so awesome, he may have a spot, to be honest, I haven't looked under his belly. I have a lot of pics for you guys, so here we go!

WAX

2008-04-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to check Fix this evening, as I had a horrible headache, and had fallen asleep on the couch... Then, I decided I would sleep better knowing I had looked in on her. I always give the ladies a midnight snack, so I was pouring her some feed and saw big gobs of wax on her teats! Happy day! So I broke out the straw, finally. She looks so close, come on girl, lets see that painted filly!!! Taylor

Fix

2008-04-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

Well, everything seems the same with Fixation tonight. I think she has decided to never foal! LOL. I am still hesitant to put straw down, since I am not a fan of having foals born on dirty straw. So far, she has seemed pretty quite this evening. The poor girl is so fat, she was struggling to scratch an itch on her back leg! I am hoping for a baby this weekend... We can only wait and see! She will be two weeks over due on Monday.

Ok....

2008-04-17T21:12:00.001-07:00

Nothing really seems any different tonight...So, no straw is going down. She is still uncomfortable, but is quiet most of the time. Maybe she wants a weekend baby? Who knows. If she seems restless, but keeps going to the window...It is probably because she can hear or see some of her friends out in the pasture.

Big Storms Coming

2008-04-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

We have some big nasty storms coming our way this evening. Be praying that the bad weather (like tornadoes) miss us, and the power won't go out... Because if the power goes out, no cam watching for us.

Fixation is about the same, her bag is big and tight, but her teats haven't filled up, but that can happen very fast. She is getting more and more uncomfortable by the day. Last night was the first time she has ever laid down, it wasn't for long, she is much to round for that! We are close, I am watching her like crazy... I am afraid she is going to sneak this foal on us! I will update you all after I check her for a final time tonight. Taylor

This mare is....

2008-04-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

...killing me. lol. Everything points to go, except her teats and milk don't look ready. But, as I have said, this is very normal for her, and she foals like that, which drives me up the wall. (I just like better signals like wax...) As you can see I put off putting down straw again tonight. Since it is something I can do last minute, I think I am going to wait and watch. If she is acting "labory" I will run down and throw some in there.

She was actually pretty warm, and even a little sweaty around her bag. And its a pretty cool night, I was comfortable in a light jacket. All we can do, is wait. Hopefully we will have a foal soon!

I think....

2008-04-16T17:18:00.001-07:00

We are pretty close! Remember how I said something like, "Wow, her belly has dropped down so much", well, it is even lower now! If you stand behind her, you can't even tell she is pregnant, its insane.

Another thing is her bag, its the biggest it has been yet. That definitely means she is close, since she likes to wait till the last moment to get all of her milk. So, I may go ahead and put straw down tonight. I have been waiting till the last second to put straw down since Fix is very messy in her stall. Hopefully we will have a foal in the next two nights. If her belly is this low, she is extremely close. Pray for a safe delivery for Fix, and a healthy colored FILLY (lol) too. Thanks for watching, this is our last foal of the year! Taylor

I will update you guys again tonight, after I check her for the evening. :)

Evening update

2008-04-15T19:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, I just checked Fixation. I definitely think she could go tonight. Her bag is very warm and tight. As I have said, her belly is very low, and her back end is very relaxed. Everything points to go but her bag really.... But I fell for that one last year, and then she foaled! lol. I opted not to put straw down yet, since she is so messy in her stall. So, if she goes tonight, straw could be last minute... Which, she doesn't mind, lol. That happened on Scout. So, if tonight you are watching her and she is in labor, call, and I will put straw down. Don't call if it is "early" labor though, lol. It is pretty cool outside, so there aren't flies, just a few bugs---so she shouldn't be swishing at those. Thanks for helping me out, hopefully we will have a foal soon! Taylor

Looking Good

2008-04-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

Fixation was looking very interesting last night. She was swishing her tail and acting very uncomfortable. I am pretty confident that she was positioning the foal last night, since her belly is very, very low today. Her bag is the same, but, that changes with her at the very last second. I will check her again tonight, and report anything new.

I got nervous because last night I didn't check her, and then she started acting up... Thankfully, I was pretty sure it wasn't the real thing. Hopefully we will have a healthy loud colored filly very soon!!! Taylor

A Week

2008-04-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

It has been a week today, since Fix's due date. Her bag is still about the same, but I will check her later tonight. She seemed kinda grumpy today towards the other horses... But, I would be too if my belly was that big! I haven't seen her lay down either, poor girl. Come on Fixation, lets get the show on the road!!!

Ok....

2008-04-13T17:23:00.001-07:00

It hasn't even been a week, and I feel like Fixation is never going to have this foal! Though, It will be a week over due tomorrow. Her belly does seem more "even" and low tonight, were it has been lop sided most of the time, carrying higher on her right side and lower on her left. But, her bag has regressed quite a lot on on side... So she is just confusing me. At this point she doesn't look ready. But that can change with in hours for this mare.

I think she went almost two weeks over with Scout, so you never know, we may be in for a long wait. I certainly hope not though. So far i haven't seem any thing that point to "tonight", as in appearance or attitude yet. She has been very quiet at night, just standing like a statue. I am not sure what is worse for a viewer, when a mare does nothing, or tricks us and pretends like she is in labor every night?!? Both can be brutal--- Though, I think I prefer when the mares does nothing till the big event, even if it is two weeks later. I am just ready for our last foal of the year to be born. Fixation has amazing babies, and if I could kept them all, I think I would!

If there is anything new going on with Fix later tonight I will let you all know! Taylor

Hmmmm

2008-04-12T20:36:00.001-07:00

Well, I am just not sure about Ms Fix. It doesn't look like she will go tonight, but, you never know. I will just have to watch her again. I can see her baby moving a lot, so that makes me think she isn't that close... To be perfectly honest with you, I haven't really seen an unborn foal move so much so close to its big arrival! So who knows what that means. Hopefully, we all won't have to wait much longer! At this point, I doubt she will go this weekend... Even though I had that feeling earlier this week. All we can do is wait, unfortunately. Taylor

Beautiful Day

2008-04-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

Man, the weather was awesome today! I have cold, so I wasn't outside as much as I wanted to be...

Ok, Fixation's bag looks great. It is big, tight, and isn't regressing much when she goes outside for the day. As I have said, her teats aren't filled enough, but that can happen overnight. She was just brought up, so I will give her another check up tonight. I have a feeling Fix will decide to foal this weekend, though, she may not agree! Ha. Taylor

Evening update

2008-04-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I checked Fix, and everything seems about the same. Her bag is big and tight, but not enough udder development that point to "tonight". But, her back end was very relaxed, which made me a little suspicious. lol.

Please remember, if you want to catch this mare foaling, you may just want to check my updates, and keep an eye, or two, on her. She is sneaky, and sooooo quiet, it can be hard for me to tell you for sure that she is going. Even though "I" don't think she is going tonight, doesn't mean she won't decide to put it in high gear at the last moment.

Progress!

2008-04-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

Fixation's bag has made some great progress since yesterday! Her teats haven't popped out and filled yet though. When that happens, we will be very, very close I should think. At this point though, she could definitely foal... Since she has a history of that. We are about 3 days past her due date, so I may give her 3 or 4 more days, for now. She is so big, I am not sure how much longer she can wait, poor girl. In the past she has always gone over her due date, about a week give or take.

I will probably start doing my evening check ups, and if there is ever any progress or new info, I will update the blog.

For all that don't know Fixation is bred to I Got Charisma, and this is her third foal by him. I love this guy, and his babies! I have my figures crossed for a loud colored filly this year!

Stormy Weather

2008-04-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, tonight we are expecting some big, big storms! Hopefully, the power won't go out... But, I won't be surprised if it does. Just thought I would let you all know.

Fixation looks really good. Her bag is getting bigger, but as usual, it doesn't look "ready". As I have told you all, that really means nothing, since last year she tricked us and foaled like that! Since she is past her due date, I am watching her like a hawk! If there is anything new to report, I will update you all.

Taylor

Fixation Update!

2008-04-08T15:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, Fixation is over her due date now. I checked my calendar from last year and saw that she foaled 6 days after her due date, but, had not had a bag that showed she was close at all. So, we all should watch her carefully from now on.

She has been spending some nights outside, but, I think she will be up at night from now until she has that baby! I am really excited about our last baby for the year! All I know is four babies is a lot of work, so maybe next year we will only have two, maybe three tops, lol.

Wendy is shedding out quite dark, almost a liver chestnut, it is very beautiful. Of course, she looks a little funny right now, since it is only around her eyes! Poor girl. And Mr Tramp is just confusing me... His color is changing... and Getting lighter!!! I don't know what color he is at this point. He may be a smutty buckskin when he sheds out, but at this point I am calling him "bayish", HA! Aurora is still a beautiful gold, though, I am not sure if her mane is shedding out white or silver. Either would be so beautiful! Ok, if anything is new with Fix, I will give an evening update.

April Showers...

2008-04-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

Or more like April Storms! The trusty weather man says that some serious storms are coming tonight! And, it will be kinda chilly too. So, of course, I don't have enough stalls ready to roll for the mares with foals, and Fixation... So I have to get one all ready today before it starts raining. It could be worse I question.

Fixation has calmed down in the stall, and I am very thankful. I hate it when they are distressed like that. Other than people loving to watch the mares on the cam, I really didn't mind leaving her outside to foal... But her belly is huge, which tends to mean, there is a big, big foal in there. So, I would rather her be up for me to watch and catch a possible "problem" early, rather than later. Plus with all this crazy weather, who would want to foal in the cold and rain?

Fix's bag is looking good. It is looking like it did last year, when I said she didn't look close, and then she had Fletcher the next day. Mares, lol. But, she usually goes later than her due date. So, I don't think much will happen till after Monday. But, I would still watch her because she is very sneaky! Hope you enjoy watching my girl Fixation, she is very special. Taylor

Harpole Farms News

Sold Horses

So Sorry!!!

Im Back!

Pics of Aurora

Ugh, Summer Heat

My Sweet Boy Fletcher

Update

Oops, Its A COLT (PICS)

***WAX***

Fix

Ok....

Big Storms Coming

This mare is....

I think....

Evening update

Looking Good

A Week

Ok....

Hmmmm

Beautiful Day

Evening update

Progress!

Stormy Weather

Fixation Update!

April Showers...

WAX