Assortment

In the last couple of weeks, apart from the fun part (the visitors), I've had Cudglebar Jasmine ill, had to race down to Newcastle to see my father (at least I still got to see Dr Who on Saturday night!) , and before that Jasmine's yearling son Cudglebar Sultan was running around the paddock with a stick in his mouth - he'd pulled it from a pine tree, and dropped it then tripped over it, and it stuck in his leg on the front of a hind cannon - not bad, but of course I had to treat it.
Last week (and throughout winter) the place looked like the Sahara desert, but now, as is usual at this time of year, everything has greened up seemingly overnight, and the flowers are coming out.

Pic of Palomino filly

For some reason the post about my Palomino filly would not load a photo of her, so here it is. She has her own page on my website, go to www.hyksosarabians.com and look for "Little Leslie Lena" on the menu.

Cudglebar Jasmine gets sick

A couple of days after Les, Karen and John left, on my way back from dropping the kids at the school bus I saw Jasmine not eating her breakfast, and looked depressed with her head down. As I went to catch her she trotted away, coughing a little, so I rugged her and gave her shot of depocillin and syringed some Trimidine down her throat, and called the vet. Her temp was 39.1.
He took bloods and marked them urgent, then took some back to the surgery to see what he could find out there.
The bloods the next morning were worrying, but what we have figured out is that if there is something going around, like a cold, she drops her bundle as her liver isn't the best. I have ordered some pangamic acid (used to be called vitamin B 15) and will give her a course of that, and then continue it at intervals, will look up some herbal stuff to give her in her feed too.
The vet gave me a printed out diet for liver patients, but it turns out that's what I've been feeding her anyway, so that was good!
She finished her depocillin course last night, and took off at a gallop after I let her go. She's feeling good again, but I'll keep a close eye on her.

Another filly, a PALOMINO Quarab!

Riena foaled Rowena on the Monday, and on Tuesday afternoon I noticed chestnut Arabian mare Arwin of Kikkuli had bagged up considerably since that morning. As I was contemplating the sleepless night ahead of me, the phone rang, and it was Karen of KD Arabians, New Zealand. They were visiting 83 y.o. Les Ellery of Cudglebar Stud, and on the spur of the moment thought they'd bring him to visit me the next day, stay overnight, then head back the next day. Les was thrilled, as he usually can't get away from the farm. I've known Les since I was a kid, and as a teenager leased him my foundation stallion Helicon for 2 seasons.
I quickly "cleaned up" the house, by throwing everything in file boxes and stacking them in my bedroom, out of sight - I'm still looking for things!
Karen and John were frightened as they had experienced my cooking before, and their faces looked stricken when I insisted on cooking the dinner. Les was very excited to see Cudglebar Jasmine, a favourite mare of his - he sold her to me last Christmas just after she recovered from a life-threatening illness. Les's stud is out west and the season had brought more Pattersons Curse (nasty weed) than usual - Jasmine had sustained liver damage from eating it and had nearly died. The vet told Les she had to get to a Pattersons Curse free area asap, and Les wanted her to come to me as I have a vet literally 3 minutes away, and, if I do say so myself :-), I spoil my horses!
That night I stayed up again to check Arwin, and she foaled at 2 am - very easy birth, everything went just perfectly (apart from me not being able to see if the filly was passing the meconium in the dark, so I picked it up and put it in my coat pocket to check its identity later - and found it there at dawn!) This is Arwin's first foal, and she is a superb mum. The night took a cold turn so at 2.15 am I ran to wake up Karen, and we moved Arwin and the foal into the foaling stable from the foaling paddock. Then Karen and I stayed up all night talking. Les was up at 6 am to see what had happened, and was impressed the foal, and very approving that Karen and I had taked about pedigrees all night!
Les suddenly decided not to eat breakfast when I offered to cook it, and said cereal would be fine. He didn't want toast as I burnt the first 6 pieces and had to throw them in the sink and turn on the tap to put them out as they were smoking. Toaster's fault! I said.
Back to my filly... a PALOMINO!!!!!! I saw her first in the moonlight and knew she was a palomino, even from the distance at which I was lurking not wanting to disturb Arwin. All my life I have wanted to breed a palomino filly, but haven't been able to breed a palomino at all, and I am very blessed and excited to have the lovely filly! She is by Trazir Stud's palomino Quarter Horse stallion BWQ Tassa Hollywood. I named her in honour of Les, Hyksos Little Leslie Lena. She is a very intelligent horse, and very cute!

It's a filly!

My pure Colonial mare Cudglebar Riena had a filly!! Yes, this was the Monday before last but I haven't had a chance to catch up on the blog yet. She foaled at Montville Stud as when I knew I would be able to buy Riena, it was too late to travel her, and will be around a 9 hour drive. The filly was born on my son Rowan's 14th birthday, so he insisted she be named Hyksos Rowena. Rowena is a full sister to my stud stallion Hyksos Arkhon. Riena was to be rebred to Caleb, who was about to head overseas to New Zealand to KD Arabians. However, while the date he was due to leave left enough time, the transport was sent for him days earlier than expected, to my disappointment. The overseas shipping company just happened to have a truck in the area, so thought they'd pick up Caleb on their way past.. oh well... here's a picture of Caleb (he's working stock horse) with his owner John Heffernan of Montville Stud, photo by Sharon Meyers.
At least I didn't have to stay up all night with Riena - when Arkhon was foaled (I had leased her back then for 1 year), I was sleepless for a few nights and she finally had him in the middle of the final episode of Friends screening in Australia. However, I soon was to be up 2 nights running with only coffee to keep me going....