BRRRRRRRRRRR!

Well, winter has hit with a vengeance! It was a good thing that we cancelled our meeting on the 27th, terrible blizzard conditions and now we have plunged into the deep freeze big time. It was -42 C here this morning and warmed up to a balmy -28 C, woo hoo!!! Lynn had to go back north this morning too, kinda had me worried but he made it no problems, said the roads were great. It is now snowing and is -32 C and they are forecasting wind and that will be terribly miserable. We put out round bales on Saturday just to give me a break and boy was that a fortuitous decision. All the criiters are doing fine, all have good shelter and lots of bedding. The horses have been frisking around lots, maybe it warms them up some! But they are feeling good. By the time I am dressed to go outside to do chores, I look and feel like the Michelen tire guy. Boy, I cannot wait till spring again. Thank goodness we had such a mild winter up to this point.

Hot Spots Regional Appaloosa Club News

I have the Membership Application Forms made up and also membership cards! We will look so "official" at our next meeting, January 27. The Application for Incorporation has been sent away and I hope it doesn't take too long to hear back. It takes a lot of work and time to set up a club, but we are certainly getting there step-by-step! I am looking forward to spring and being able to get together for a trail ride!

Real January!

Well, we finally got "real" January weather! It started snowing just before dark on Friday night and by Saturday afternoon we had about 10" of fresh, new snow on the ground. It is so pretty, but so hard to deal with. Just walking from one bale to the next is a challenge. My son came over after he got off work, started the quad and did some plowing for me. I sure do thank him for that. I was pretty tired from shoveling the deck off! It is -30 C this morning, a bit on the chilly side. The sky is so clear and the sun shining on the new snow and frost is beautiful. All the animals are just fine, throw them some extra hay and they are happy. The cold doesn't seem to even register with the puppies at all. The broodmares are feeling VERY good, having a great time running around and kicking and bucking - sillies! The snow was welcome, need a good packed base before the spring snows come and everything looks so clean again. Pictures to follow.

2008 ALBERTA HORSE BREEDERS AND OWNERS CONFERENCE

Well the conference has come and gone again! It was awesome as usual and I learned a lot. Here is a picture of the CHA booth, forgot to get one of the ApHCC booth! I rode down with Lynda Flato, met up with Gail Praharenka, Charlene Wheale, Mary Anne Finley and the girls from the vet clinic caught up to us later Friday evening. We saw so many people from the 2007 Nez Perce Ride to Freedom, it was like a reunion! Nils and his wife were at the mounted shooters booth. We also met a lot of new people and had a good time. The weather was nice and roads were bare and dry, always a bonus this time of year. We also managed to get our signatures for applying for our Hot Spots Regional Appaloosa Club incorporation. Hope it doesn't take too long to come back! I always look forward to this conference, it is a great learning opportunity, a great way to network and a super winter break. I am already looking forward to next year and the Mane Event coming up in April.

UPDATES TO WEBSITE

Check out the updates to our website! Go to www.starmyriappaloosas.ca and see all the new pictures that were loaded today! I think it looks really great!

2008 has arrived

Welcome to 2008! The year has started out with very nice weather, hope it stays awhile. Krissie goes back to college in the morning - boy did her break go by fast as per usual but she will be a graduate in 4 short months! So far, the pregnant mares are all doing well and the tummies are growing. Old Babe is in excellent condition this winter and feeling good. Now that Christmas is over with I hope to do some riding (as long as it doesn't get too cold). We have the perfect amount of snow on the ground.

I would like to introduce everyone to Starmyri's newest additions - on the left is Molly and the right is Maxi. They are Great Pyrenese X Maremma and hopefully will be taking over guard duties with Pluto within the next couple of months or so. Aren't they just the cutest things? A neighbor lost a miniature donkey to a cougar a couple of weeks ago (within 100 yards of the house) so we definitely need the stock protection. Pluto is working too hard - the old girls are mostly decoration these days. Have had lots of wolf activity this winter already too. And the coyotes are a story themselves, way too bold.

Our injured mare is nearly healed and is a great companion to the weanling, they get along really well. Should work good for when it is time to put the weanling to pasture as she will have a good companion already. Beamer will likely have a stiffness to her leg for a long time but it is not too bad anymore. They love to race around the pen together a lot!

Best wishes to all in the New Year!