What a difference a little bit of sunshine makes!

Bales, bales, bales in our back field - YAY!!! With two horrendous wet summers in 2008 and 2009 there was no chance of getting a cut of haylage off the fields so it has been a massive bonus to get the back field cut this year. Over 50 bales which will make a significant difference to the winter forage bill and its tidied up the field too. We are really lucky to have an excellent contractor in Andrew and finally just a bit of joy with the weather!

Wanda at three months old.

Cactus Jack at ten weeks old.

Caramia at twelve weeks old.

Aguacero at five months old.

Breeding season finished?

Last two mares scanned in foal today Carter Bar in foal to Exbury Ghost for a full sibling to Soutra Brae, Snow Angel and Cactus Jack due the 7th of July 2011. Then the visiting, solid appaloosa mare Wearview Gypsy in foal to Arrayan Numa due the 14th of July.

We have had an excellent season, only 25 year old Liz not in foal (and now retired) and all bar one taking in foal first time. Some very exciting foals to look forward to next year!

Lady Erica...

Enjoying the grass!

Chamfron Chipita - August

Happily growing up with pals down in Surrey, I love how the first photo shows up the incredible shine that Ruby seems to pass onto her foals. Photos thanks to Lorna.

Moving fields.

Well at the moment we are getting perfect grass growing weather and the horses are getting rather too plump, especially the dry mares. Today they have been moved in with the retired boys and the youngsters, amalgamated in to one great herd on the baldest field. The back field (everything crossed) will be cut for haylage/silage next week and the house field will be rested for the winter.

It does the horses a lot of good to be in a large group, youngsters learn manners from the older horses, they also cover a great milage every day up and down the slopes and there is nothing nicer than seeing them flat out snoozing in the sun, secure because they have the herd around them. For the first time Bridget is out with both her youngsters, Malambo the roan gelding by Arrayan and Stela the snowflake filly by Nico.

Next Generation?

Louise and Hannah sent me the photos of their three month old filly by Exbury Ghost and out of the Jumbo Hirt mare Miss Pedantic. Although she has no spots as yet, none of Nico's foals have stayed solid beyond their first birthday and I don't get the feeling this one will stay brown either!

The other news is the dam of this filly is 45 days in foal to the two year old colt Chamfron Marco Polo!

Getting bigger...

Chooks and foals, just a couple of snapshots!

Edinburgh Festival

Managed to have a few days away in Edinburgh for the festival. After a really delicious lunch at Wildfire on Rose Street (highly recommended) we went to see Hardeep Singh's "Chat Masala" (not enough curry passed around!) then the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppets, who were absolutely fabulous, very very funny. Then today (yip Friday the Thirteenth....) we decided to have lunch 100ft in the air at Festival in the sky. In all honesty I think in Edinburgh its probably not as awe inspiring as it should be. You are a 100 feet up but because it is based in Princess Street Gardens (way below street level,) it doesn't feel as high as it should, now if they could have put it on the Esplanade that would have been buttock clenching! As you can see in the photo of my cowboy boot I even managed to look down at the teeny weeny people looking up!

Chamfron Snow Angel Update

Absolutely thrilled to get an update from Gordon on Chamfron Snow Angel (Amber) now she is two.

"Amber is doing fine. I have been doing a fair bit of ground work with her - lunging, backing up,desensitising to plastic bags etc., and she has behaved as if she had done it all before! She is standing at 15.1hands now but is still definitely bum high and so has a bit of growing to do. Tia brought out a borrowed saddle to try for size and took some pictures - so I have attached a couple of those. Amber accepted the saddle without any fuss and so we have gone on to sit up on her with so little fuss it was like pony rides- I am sure I am going to pay for this later!! I am resisting the temptation to go on and do much more ridden work until she matures a bit more and so we will just continue on with the groundwork in the meantime."

Gilsland Agricultural Society Show - 2010

Another good dry day at the Gilsland Agricultural show where along with the stock there is vintage tractors, cumberland wrestling, a dog show, tug of war and errr face painting....!

I think this photo should be labeled "well oiled and horny" but on a more serious note there were really good entries in the blackface sheep classes. If I'm honest I'm a little disappointed I didn't get more photos on the day and know I missed whole classes as events clashed. The photos show more of an overview of the day in the three albums here - Gilsland Ag Show - but I may just have snapped you...!!!

Foals August 2010