A Medieval Tail.....

Okay, maybe not truly Medieval, but Dulcie's fly/midge sheet and fly mask definitely remind me of a jousting attired horse. :)Introducing Kiger Dulcinea, affectionately known as Dulcie. She is a 9 year old Kiger Mustang. Dulcie has a condition called sweet itch where she is allergic to midge bites for the Spring and Summer and will itch herself raw if left unattended.


I guess I knew remaining horseless no matter how hard I tried (i.e. selling everything horse-related down to the last piece of equiptment)it couldn't last. Horses are so much part of my soul and what makes me happy in life. It just took some time to realize it. Dulcie is the perfect size for me 14H, and has a nice laid back temperament....perfect for a 50 year old. :)


Dulcie was wild caught as a 3 year old and Lil Nagy adopted her and trained her. Lil was kind enough to let Dulcie come into my life. Lil is a Mustang advocate and her whole family rides Mustangs. Here is a pic Lil sent me of her daughter riding Dulcie for a show.

They just completed part of the annual John Wayne Wagon Trail ride. Other riders were very impressed with their horses, especially since they were all barefoot and the Trail can be extremely rocky being part of a railway right of way. Here is a link about the trail ride: It covers 200 miles across WA state, here's a link with the map that shows the route:

I recently visited the Mustang corrals in Burns, OR on the way home from a family reunion. I was extrememly impressed by the set-up, and the condition of the horses. They were ALL beautiful, I could have taken them all home. :) If you ever get a chance to visit the corrals they have a driving tour that you can drive all around their facility. The office itself wasn't open that day, I would have loved to talk to some of the BLM folks there.

As you approach the facility from either direction the first thing that catches your eye is the rearing Mustang on the horizon.

This is the sign entering the facility:

Here are some of the beautiful horses in the spacious corrals around the facility. The hay they were feeding was excellent quality....wish I could have taken a trailer load home with me.


This young one really caught my eye....if only there was more room in the Subaru.....but Kylie said there was no way she was sharing the back with a horse. :)

I can't encourage people enough to adopt a wild Mustang or Burro/donkey. They are wonderful animals and a great way to help preserve some of our American heritage. They have adoption sites nationwide and even have on-line adoptions. Here are some of their planned adoption events: and some more events including the online auction:www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/

If you haven't been to her site already please visit the 7MSN Ranch Not only is Linda an exceptional photographer and storyteller, but her animal family includes too wonderful donkeys that she adopted.

Also, for some more fantastic photos and great reading, please visit Mud Ranch: Joan also happens to have some of the most beautiful Kigers!

Kylie has been after me to do the next post so I guess I'll have to turn the computer over to her for the next posting...

What I did on my Summer vacation...by Kylie Knight aka Sprites Great Adventure

I decided to do a bit of blogging since Mom has been to busy trying to get the place spiffed up for family visiting next week.

We just returned from vacation down to No. CA to go to Guerdon's family reunion in No. San Juan.

We got to stay at his Aunt Gens house in Nevada City. OH! the wonderful smells around her place!! I had such a good time, and everyone spoiled me. :)

My favorite smell at her place was DEER!! Mom kept her eye on me pretty good, but I tricked her into thinking I was just smelling the ground. I ACTUALLY had my eye on five deer that were out in the woods. Before Mom could get my name out of her mouth I was gone like a shot! WHEEEE! Through the woods we went, I could hear Mom and Guerdon yelling my name.

The deer leaped over this huge ditch filled with water, but by the time I saw it I wasn't able to gather myself to spring completely over it and I got a bit wet.

Then I heard Mom yelling "AUS!" which is from Shutzhund training and means for me to stop what I'm doing. Sigh. I stopped and turned around.

Mom and Guerdon were on the OTHER side of the ditch. She kept telling me to stay on the other side though I know I could have just sprang back over to her. She was really worried as I guess this is the NID ditch where people get their water and many a dog has fallen in and can't get out until someone pulls them out.

So I followed along on the other side of the ditch till we came to a road. Mom told me "Platz!' and I laid down and waited until Guerdon came over and got me.

Boy! was I tired. Mom thought it was funny and kept taking pics of me in the back of the Subaru when they were on their way to dinner.
They went to a place called The Willo. It's an old roadhouse and they have a limited menu of mostly beef. Like that would be a problem!!
You can grill your own meat or pay an extra 50 cents and have them grill it for you. Personally I would rather they just hand it to me raw, but people are funny that way.

This pic is of my Grandma Lucy, Guerdon's Mom. She grew up here in Grass Valley and Nevada City and met her husband Ray here. This is her showing off her leftovers, which she brought home for ME! :) She calls me her granddaughter and spoils me all the time.

The next day was the family reunion. Affectionately known as "The PIG". Was I excited when I heard that! More food!! There were lots of people there, and dogs.

They had a horse and a mini donkey. This little human really liked them.


This one male human came up and wanted to meet me. I was more than happy to make his acquaintance. Mom said he probably didn't want me licking his tonsils but I personally think he liked it.

They had a Border Collie there named Elvis that put on a show with tricks. I watched him carefully, but I didn't see anything that I personally thought was special, I'm sure I could have done any of those tricks. He got a lot of applause though. Every time his person threw a ball for him I wanted to go get it (I KNOW I could have beat him to it) so I had to stay on a leash during his show.

After we ate lots of good food we went for a walk down their road.
Lots of good smells here too. There were some pretty flowers by the side of the road, though they weren't near as interesting as the smells!



There were these orange flowers Mom said were poppies. I sniffed at them but there was this bug in there that yelled at me and said I'd be sorry if I kept smelling so I left it alone.

I guess I'll finish up my story later....Mom is going to plant some plants and I have to go show her I can dig holes better than she can....she obviously must have forgotten how well I re-landscaped the yard last year! Later!! Kylie

Ram lambs, ram lambs, everywhere I look there are ram lambs......

Just returned from vacation (Kylie will be posting more on that later).

Noticed I have a bunch of good looking ram lambs that I need experienced people to comment on as far as conformation, fleeces, horns, and tails.

As I haven't been around and I tried not to make my ram lambs too friendly before I left, I accomplished that part...but in turn it made it hard to get pics.

I'll try to group who is who, and if anyone is interested in any of these boys please speak up and I will do a strict photo shoot on that lamb as well as take good fleece pics and send a sample.

All the fleeces seem to be good and even. Mostly intermediate I think (spoken from a true novice).

Dad is Stonehaven Duncan, fawn katmoget, single fleece.

Valentines (Stonehaven Valeria Moorit) boy didn't have horns for quite awhile and now he has some that I am wondering if they are scurs? He is a luscious dark brown, his tail appears to be a bit wooly....thoughts?


WSR Rechels (Grey Flecket)boys...thoughts on color? the brownish boy also has white hairs on top of his head. The other boy...grey, I guess? though it is an unusual gray.




Sheep Ridge Princess Aurora (Mioget horned) had a lovely brown boy, HUGE horn buds...


Stonehaven Ilse (Musket) had a beautiful Katmoget boy....

Boulderneigh Bella (Grey Flecket/Katmollet) had a stout little gray katmoget ram lamb. He has held his own and has quite th personality!

The one and only ewe lamb I got was out of Stonehaven Flora (black) definitely a katmoget...color? fawn? grey?


So.....what are your thoughts? Thanks in advance!!

Who's that knocking at my door????

This morning when I walked into the living room I had quite the sight. 5 peacocks looking in, with one REALLY looking in. Though they sure can make a mess out of my back patio it's hard not to appreciate the beauty....and comical looks that the peacocks bring.

With a peep, peep here and a peep, peep there....

My little Serama girls managed to hatch out some little ones. They didn't hatch any of the quail eggs out but I'll forgive them. The little chicks they did hatch out were pretty darn cute. :)


Ahhhh....that sun feels SOOO goooddd!!!





Even though this pic is a bit blurry, you can see the upright posture even in the chicks!

















Though daddy Serama roo was kind of a pain in the butt when the hens were setting on their eggs, he has turned into a protective daddy and chased a curious Call duck away from the chicks.....


Hey! What are those fuzzy little things???


Geez! OK already I wasn't trying to get THAT close!


A gal can't even be friendly these days!!

Donkey Chic......the finest in Donkey attire.

Happy Mothers Day!!!

Happy Mothers Day to all you mothers out there! Though I never had any children of my own I think of my animal family as my kids. :)

Along with all the cute little lambs there has been some bad news too. I lost two of the lambs, a ewe and a ram, not sure if they were stillborn or died shortly after birth. Unfortunately I was at work when they were born.

I also found out that I can't have Jasmine and Rosebud, the donkeys, near the lambs. They don't like the way the lambs move and want to stomp them. So unfortunately even though I got them for protecting the sheep they have to be pastured separately. They were definitely enjoying the sun today.





I love this wild dogwood that grows in my pasture, I buried both the little lambs that didn't make it beneath it.



We're finally done lambing here, almost all ram lambs! All of them will be for sale if you're interested, as well as the Jacob ewe lamb.

First born, out of Boulderneigh Bella reg.S22596 (twin Grey Flecket/Katmollet) by Stonehaven Duncan reg.S16861 (twin Fawn Katmoget), a gray Katmoget ram lamb. (here I have to apologize....I'm slow on the naming of my lambs....)He's small but mighty. He usually is the one jumping on the other lambs trying to engage them in play.



Next was a fawn?musket? katmoget ram lamb out of Stonehaven Ilse reg. S25021 (single Musket) by Stonehaven Duncan. This little ram lamb really has a presence about him. Very regal, nice topline, straight legs, cute little tail. :)




Next was a dark brown ram lamb out of Sheep Ridge Princess Aurora reg. S25111 (single Mioget horned). A really robust little ram and check out those hornbuds!! This little guy has his own party if no one else wants to play, leaping and jumping...:)



Next up, a grey?fawn? katmoget ewe lamb, yeah! a ewe! out of Stonehaven Flora reg. S26178 (twin Black) and Stonehaven Duncan.







Next is twin katmoget ram lambs, one is a gray for sure (black with "sugarlips"), the other boy is an unusual mix of colors. They are out of WSR Rechel reg. S16907 (twin Grey Flecket). Poor Rechel is suffering from Mastitis on one side of her udder. :( She seems to be able to keep her boys fed off the one side, but I feel so bad for her. She is getting dosed with Antibiotics, and hopefully she will recover quickly. I will be looking for a spinners flock or pet home for her after her lambs are weaned. I don't believe she should be bred again. She has a lovely fleece and is a super friendly girl. Loves her chin skritches.




Last but not least, of the Shetlands, is a black ram lamb out of Stonehaven Valeria reg. S20400 (twin Moorit)and Stonehaven Duncan. Another robust, I can party by myself boy. He's always racing off to the distress of his mother.




My one and only Jacob ewe that I kept, had black and white twins, a ewe and a ram lamb. They are out of Painted Rock Janelle reg. A009-09 (two horn single B/W) and by Windy Acres Lawrence (a lilac 4 horn).






Ok, I guess we should give a nod to the Dads. All they had to do today was relax and enjoy the sun.

Lawrence....


Duncan....


Now we have a few pics of some soon to be mothers.....

My turkey hen, Lucy (Rickie, the tom, is looking for a new home. He really messes with my Zen when I go to relax down at the barn. He thinks it's his job to stalk me and then fly up and pound me with his wings.)
She's also sitting on some chicken eggs that the hens placed in her nest when she wasn't looking....

Here are my Serama hens and their obnoxious roo. The poor girls can hardly set on their nests and he is always climbing on their backs and strutting and crowing....I wonder if they're not plotting to kill him in his sleep.





Here's a pic of the osprey nest on the property next to ours....it was over 15 feet across about 5 years ago and they add to it every year. I really need to get a telephoto lens.....

Lastly, are some shots of my other children....


The emus and their new sign...


One of the guineas...

Cleopatra and Marc Anthony (thanks everyone with you great name ideas!)


Sheepfields Sheba...



Sprite's Great Adventure "Kylie"