Your Drive Day

[MajorClementine]

Marsha: Hoping you can get some pics of the parade. I too wish I could come join you. We could make a whole group of us. Wouldn't that be fun!?

Laurie: I can't remember if you were able to use your otter sled with the shaft set-up yet?? I know what you mean about new things. That's one thing that Clementine needs too. A slower introduction to new vehicles. Candace you can hitch to anything. Single, double, right side, left side, she doesn't care. Clementine is really sensitive to how a new vehicle pulls and needs a 10-15 min of ground driving the first time around to get comfortable with it.

I still owe you guys a few pics of the men driving the minis and our new ride when it gets here.

 

[Cayuse]

I used the otter ! Sled with the shafts a few times with both the minis. Peanut was baffled! by them at first,!I think he relies on the regular!shafts for guidance. I may just us the old plastic sled with him, he is happy with that arrangement. I just clip!the!!traces up so they don't hang and off he goes. Not too stable, but he is good with it. Cappy loved the otter sled shafts.

Dan and I were talking about the set up today and what we were going to do about!each mini. Peanut also went better with the curved breast collar, that helped him a lot. I will probably start Peanut out with the old sled and go from there.

These ! are active tonight

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Perfect weather for a parade. The floats were incredible for a tiny town. Hard to photograph at night, but I'll try to put a few float photos on the photo forum later. My sister took Jackie O also. She is an incredible little horse.

Isn't the Santa wonderful? His beard is even real.

 

[Cayuse]

Looks like you had fun DD looks great. Did Santa have treats? DD looks hopeful for one! Did you make his sparkley blanket? How does it stay on? And how do you and your sister get the Santa hats to stay put? They always flop around too much and get in their face when I try to put one on a halter or bridle.

Is Jackie O new to your sister? It is nice that you could both be at the parade together. Makes for some nice shared memories.

 

[MajorClementine]

How fun! So glad you had your sister to join you. No one is bundled up too heavy, what are your temps like right now in the evenings. We're down around 12*F once the sun goes down around here so we'd look like we were dressing for the North Pole if we did a night parade. I bet it's a really great parade with all the lights though.

Love the santa hats. We have antlers for our riding horses. Really just antler headbands we ziptie to their bridles. Tried to put a big red nose on Comic one year but he kept shaking it off....

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I made ear holes in a hat and it is zipped to the headstall. I stuffed it part way and sewed it so it wouldn't flop over so much. But he does not like it. I used a blanket for a pattern for the cape and it just has two ties in front. Holes for the terrets and it stays on well. DD was not in a good mood. After being air compressored, which I think he enjoyed, I shut him in the trailer to keep him clean. Hay bag and a bucket of water. By the time he got out for the parade he was fed up. The hat really annoyed him. Jackie O was a little angel. My sister got her from Wilma Bouska of Teacup Stables. She is a retired brood mare. It was a lovely warm evening, no wind Ideal for a parade. My toes got a little cold by the end, but otherwise it was perfect.

 

[MajorClementine]

Okay here's a couple pics. First one is my dad (draft horse teamster) driving the mini pair. Candace (left hand) who belongs to my son and I, and Smokey who belongs to another draft horse teamster friend.



Second pic is the day we hitched up all the horses we had (except Phineas as he's down with a hurt foot) and made our own parade. My mom, who is driving Clementine (bay mini) in this pic, was actually riding with my son who is driving Candace (pinto mini) and I was driving Clementine. Mom just hopped in my cart to hold Clementine while I took the picture.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

What great photos! I hope there were some neighbors home during the day who got to enjoy your parade! Your dad is a handsome guy.

 

[Cayuse]

Thanks for posting the pictures! Your dad looks happy, minis will do that to you (when they aren't being exasperating).

That chestnut horse is handsome. Reminds me of a horse we had when when we were young and I rode a lot.

How is wee Clem feeling since she started her supplements and had her roommates rearranged?

 

[MajorClementine]

Thanks for the kind words guys. I couldn't find the pic with all 3 men on the mini wagonette. But they all had HUGE smiles on their faces. They drove all over the neighborhood impressing people with their manly team.

The chestnut is my father's Fox Trotter. He can be a handful but boy can he move out!

Clem seems to be doing a lot better. No more aggressive episodes. I think being back with her best buddy was the right move for sure. I haven't driven her since I started her supplements so I'm interested to see if they help with her focus, but she is putting on some weight and seems to have relaxed. I'm hoping she's on the mend.

 

[Cayuse]

Looks like I am done driving Cappy until the end of the year. He has anaplasmosis. It is a bacterial infection from ticks. He has to have IV oxytetracycline for three more days (5 total) and a two week recovery. This is my second horse to get it over the years and I have had two with Lyme, also. Ticks stink.

If you guys can, could you send some positive vibes his way? He would appreciate it (me too!) Thanks!

He is feeling better than yesterday. Appetite and temp back to normal. The antibiotics are working quickly, but I worry.

The barn has been quite with him under the weather. Peanut and Oatie have been subdued and very mannerly. Sometimes it does not take much to change the barn dynamics. Hopefully they will all be bouncing around again soon and up to their usual antics.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Oh, dear. I have never heard of that terrible tick infection. Did you find the tick on him? I hate those disgusting things. I'm so sorry for you both. Dapper Dan had a tick on him about a month ago. I think I got it off him in time; don't they say you have 24 hours to get them off? It's so hard to find them in all the fur. Get well soon, Cappy.

 

[Cayuse]

He is doing pretty well, appetite and attitude good . Two more days of antibiotics to go.

We have a lot of ticks in this area, the wild turkeys help control them a little and we have lots of wild turkeys, I counted 30 or more out here.

I have also heard it takes 24 hours for them to transmit anything.

I took Peanut out for a drive in the sled. I was expecting some antics, but he was much better with the curved shafts and buckle down carriers than he was last year. He was "bouncy" walking, not quite jigging,but very animated. He enjoys having a job. He remembered his "standing while the sled gets loaded and unloaded with stuff" lessons from last year.

 

[MajorClementine]

Poor Cappy! Luckily we don't have much of a problem with ticks here. I've found a couple on the horses over the years but that's it.

I'm glad Peanut enjoyed his work. And how clever of him to remember his "stand still" lessons

 

[Cayuse]

Peanut today. It was quite cold. I can't say enough good things about Tractor Supply's fleece lined jeans!

 

[Cayuse]

Tried to post a picture above but it wouldn't post. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[Cayuse]

Oops! It worked!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Wheee! Dashing through the snow!

 

[Cayuse]

Took him out today, he was hotter than a two dollar pistol.

I can't quite seem to get him perfectly comfy in the sled, it is better than last year though. Hopefully with tweeking and time he will decide it is ok. I started a thread about the shaft issue.

 

[Northwolf]

Oh no, poor Cappy

get well soon for him!

But I love your sled! I want to have one like this too. I only have a normal all purpose sled without shaft. This works too, but it's not specially comfortable... Now, we don't have enough snow for going sledding. I hitched Moony yesterday to the sled and drove him about 1 hour, he did very well. But I couldn't sit on the sled all the time because the roads were snow-free.

I drove with my team Teddy/Massai this weekend too, despite of coldness and on saturday, it was rainy and the roads were icy. I put them their boots with the spikes on, but it was still slippery and I have to drive carefully and slow.