Harpole Farms News

Some Pictures!

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:36:00 +0000

Here are some pictures of the still unnamed filly! I wanted to get some outside pics, but the weather has not been great, just grey rainy skys...

Its a FILLY!

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:49:00 +0000

Yesterday Lady surprised us and had her baby while she was out in the pasture! This is the second time she has done this, ha! The filly is huge and has the prettiest head I have ever seen!!! She is completely solid, no white what so ever. We are pretty sure she is a palomino, since she has blue eyes and is a amber color. We have never had a palomino this dark before, so, only time will tell! I will post pictures tomorrow!!! Taylor

Hmm, Is that Wax I see!

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:55:00 +0000

Looks like Miss Lady has some wax this evening, and is very uncomfortable. So I think tonight is the night. She is a pretty text book mare when it comes to foaling. It would be sooo cute to have a Valentines baby! Pray all goes well. I will take lots of pictures!

Taylor

Hmmm

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 05:09:00 +0000

Well, Lady doesn't seem to be doing much tonight. She is content, and hanging her head out her stall window to enjoy the cool breeze. Tomorrow night we are expecting major storms, and a cool front, so of course, she will go when we are having tornado watches! Ha. Taylor

Lady Update

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:54:00 +0000

Well, actually, yesterday was Lady's due date! I thought Friday was, but I recheck the calender... Oops.

She is looking really close! No wax yet, but I am watching her like a hawk. I think she will go tonight or tomorrow night---- But you know mares...

I promise to take lots of pictures!

Taylor

Lady Report

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:26:00 +0000

Hello everyone. Lady's due date is today, and she looks really close! No wax yet, but I am still keeping an eye on her. She is always good about "telling" us when she is about to go, so I don't worry about her to much when I am not around. I will keep you updated! If anything look different tonight, I will tell you. I will take lots of pictures when the time comes. Thanks, Taylor

I feel really bad about this....

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:52:00 +0000

Ok everyone. As you may or may not know, we here at Harpole Farms have been building on to our barn, and fixing up some much needed things, like building an office, etc. So, we had to change what stall was going to be our foaling stall, as we were moving the computers (for the cam) into the actual office. Well, long story short, I can't pull everything together to get our cams up and running this year. This will be the only time this will ever happen again, promise. I really am sorry, you have NO idea how terrible I feel about the whole situation. Please don't hate us :( ! If you knew what needed to be done to even set up the cameras, you would see our problem. Let me just put it to you this way, it involves making a hole in the wall, welding, and many other things that I myself don't know how to do... So, once again, I am so, so, so, sorry everyone. I hope you can forgive me!

Thankful, you won't be missing much this year, as Lady is the only mare to foal out. She is due the 7th, and seems right on track, I think she is pretty close! And since there will be no cam this year, you know what that means, lots and lots of pictures!!!

I will make sure to have the camera with me at all times! Ha.

Once again, please forgive me for the whole cam problem. Remember to watch all the wefoal cams this year though!

I will keep everyone updated! Taylor

Wow, Its been awhile!

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:08:00 +0000

Hello everyone! I must apologize for being a terrible blogger! It has been crazy for the past few months, and time has just seemed to sneak up on me! So please forgive me.

Lady is due February 7th, so we still have a good waiting period. She is huge! Poor Girl, Thankfully, she doesn't seem as big as she did last year. She is in foal to Mr Yella Fella, and I am so excited to see this foal, hopefully this palomino filly! The foal will be N/N, and should be quite the looker. Lady is our only mare due this year, and while it is sad for you Harpole Farms watchers, it is a nice break for me! It will give me more time to work with the foal, and look on the bright side, it will be an only child, so that means TONS of pictures! ;)

All of the other horses are doing great! Everyone is fat and happy, and looking wonderful. Fixation has really benefited from the year off, and lately has been playing and throwing up her heels out in the pasture. I didn't know she could still move like that! Ruth is good too, she doesn't really like us bothering her, so she is happy. Banner, has to be the most annoying horse in our pasture! (To us and his herd mates.) I thought Scout was bad, whew, not anymore! Scout just keeps growing and growing, she is huge!!! She has to be about 16.2 or 16.3 right now. She just turned three! I have been riding her, and she is so amazing under saddle, talk about a mover! Then of course, there is Classi (my retired show mare) who is enjoying the life of a pasture mare. She and Lady are best buds.

Alright, so foaling season is starting alittle late here at Harpole Farms, but it should be an exciting one! Lady is looking wonderful, and I can't wait to see her foal! I promise to keep everyone updated. The cam is not on at the moment. I am kind of thinking since it is just Lady foaling this year (the easiest mare to foal out), about not using the cam, but I know how much everyone enjoys it. So I will work with it today, BUT, if it gives me trouble, I am going to be very mad! ;)

You guys have a great week! Taylor

Sold Horses

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:12:00 +0000

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!!!

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:59:00 +0000

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!

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:53:00 +0000

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

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:17:00 +0000

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

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Thu, 29 May 2008 21:45:00 +0000

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

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Sat, 17 May 2008 19:21:00 +0000

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

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Mon, 05 May 2008 23:09:00 +0000

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)

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:35:00 +0000

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

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 05:00:00 +0000

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

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 03:13:00 +0000

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....

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:12:00 +0000

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

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:54:00 +0000

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....

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:32:00 +0000

...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....

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:18:00 +0000

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

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:43:00 +0000

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

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:08:00 +0000

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

taylorharpolefarms@gmail.com (Taylor) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:28:00 +0000

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!!!