One of my fall & winter projects is helping to get a local Mounted Shooting club organized and operating. If you go on facebook, look for 'Malibu Ranch Cowboy Mounted Shooters'. Our info is on that page, and soon we will have membership forms, CSA membership forms, ( CSA is the Cowboy Sports Assoc.- this is the group we will be affiliated with. ) info on practices, clinics and matches.

Here is some info from the CSA website;

"The Cowboy Sports Association (CSA) was formed to promote the sport of mounted
shooting by working to fulfill the needs of individual affiliates and members. The
guidelines were created to help maintain a safe environment and keep the sport
consistent. Individual affiliates may add to these guidelines to fit the personality of their
matches. It is recommended that any additional rules and guidelines, such as dress
code, be included on any event informational materials so all competitors will be aware
of additions to these rules and guidelines."

We've had an outpouring of interest in this and I'm looking forward to getting things up and running.

Today is farrier day at the Ranch and John has a pretty good list to work on. Tomorrow Julie will head to a 'show', She is doing a freestyle dressage test on Cowboy, in costume!! Her routine is fantastic, and I know she will do great. Sunday the girls have planned a fun day here at the Ranch. Extreme Cowboy Race- in costume!



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Here's a few pics from Nationals.


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It's been another hectic week, but also a productive one. Last Friday ( and yesterday ) I trailered the Nat's horses over to Malibu Dude Ranch to school them. ( Four more weeks and we'll be in Kentucky! ) We got in a very good Mounted Shooting practice, had several other horses and people in attendance. Last Friday was also farrier day, got back from Malibu and stayed down at barn for a few hours until John had finished up. Saturday we finished up getting in the second cutting at Michele's, Sunday I went on a hay run and then did stuff around the house. Monday I left the ranch early to go on a dentistry call, then we tried out Jim's new truck, took the white trailer to pick up a new training horse. ( a lovely young TB filly that will be at RO-NO for a few months training ) The only drawback- the wiring on the white trailer is shot- Rob, Jim and Jeff have been working on it every day- totally re-doing the wiring. Wednesday, in addition to regular chores and training, I had a 'to-do' list that was a mile long- and I did get to most of it. Yesterday I left early with horses, off to school at Malibu and do some of their herds teeth. This morning I'm off to pick up a round bale for the brood mares and yearlings, then off on a sawdust run. Then Lori and Tappy will be arriving ( yeah! ) Saturday I'll head to LAQH to see some of the Western Double Point NPHA Show, then will run do a quick errand or two in Honesdale, then back to the Ranch to work with Alaina and Jose.

Sunday Rob and I will get all of the haying equipment parked together and tarped. We leave early Monday morning to the hospital- Rob's surgery to repair/replace his torn ACL is early- he'll be laid up for quite awhile recovering from this surgery :( Not looking forward to it, but at least eventually his knee should be good again.

I know I've been lacking in my posts on the blog. For those of you who facebook, please go on my RO-NO Ranch page, I tend to be on there much more, and have lots of updates and pics.


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Getting ready to hit the road for a day trip to West Virginia. Margi, a Paso Fino mare that has been at RO-NO for several months of training, is due to go home. She has turned into a very enjoyable trail mount and she will be missed, but it's great to be sending her home for her owner to enjoy.

RO-NO's Absolute will soon be moving as well. Congrats to Cheryl M on her new acquisition. Al will be a great partner for you and we wish you many Happy Trails!

Here is a pic of Gavin under saddle. He is coming right along in his training. Kenny did a great job getting him going under saddle and I'm really looking forward to seeing what this young gelding has to give us.

Mounted Shooting practice went well yesterday- and tomorrow we'll get to have a bit more advanced practice- we're off to Malibu Dude Ranch for some schooling.


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August is winding down. As I sit here in the kitchen this morning on the computer
, we have the door open and there is a cool breeze coming in through the screen. There are leaves being blown off of some of the trees, and it's cool enough out that it is making me thing of fall. Many of the local fairs have come and gone, and I've yet to make it to any of them. GDS starts today, maybe I'll get a chance to take the boys.

Dan Podwika and his family did get to enjoy the Harford Fair to its fullest. Dan had asked several months ago if he could borrow Sebastian, an 18 year old Paso Fino horse that is 'retired' here at RO-NO. Sebastian is an old pro- he's done shows and parades and fairs for a long time, and he is still the picture of vibrancy and health. Dan called daily with reports on how he and Sebastian were doing at the show, and it was always so good to hear from him- due in part to how happy he sounded at having such a fun and enjoyable horse at the fair.

Today I'll help down at the barn for a bit in the morning, then have to hook up the 2-horse and head out. I've several dentistry stops to make, and then I have to mini horses to pick up for a client. Tomorrow is mostly work at the barn, Thursday I will head south with Margi. She goes back to her family in West Virginia- she's been here for several months and we are so pleased with how she has done while she was here. I got to trail ride her the other day and she was just a joy. Friday Robbie and I, and perhaps a few others, will head to Malibu Dude Ranch to school Nationals horses and to get in some Mounted Shooting Practice.

Had a long time acquaintance stop by yesterday to try out some Pasos. She had a good time, and she fell in love! If all goes well, she'll soon have a new Paso in her barnyard. RO-NO's Absolute has always been such a joy to be around, and she will be a great mom for him.

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Another busy week behind us, with another starting tomorrow. On Thursday I trailered 4 horses over to Malibu Dude Ranch to school them. JQ and Pastor- as I want to get them into rings away from home as much as I can before Nationals, and Calif and Cardillo- same reason- and also because the folks ( and horses ) at Malibu aren't bothered by the mounted shooting that I need to do with these two studs. My plan is to head over there once a week to practice until it's time to head to Nationals.
Thursday also was farrier day here at RO-NO. John had a full days work, and all went smoothly.

Friday was work as usual- people were in and out of here all day long, and it was a good, productive day. Saturday morning I headed out and did teeth in the morning, then harnessed up Calif and drove him for a bit- with Hunter as my passenger. Also rode the new Paso mare who likes to run the barrels. In the afternoon Robbie and I hopped in the truck and headed to Malibu's Rodeo. Robbie has really enjoyed his duties there working, he has been given more and more to do- and I was slightly on the edge of my seat watching as my son would reach in as each bull came back into the chutes after un-seating their riders , to reach in to remove their flank straps. I was glad when that was done!

Today-( my day off ) consisted of the usual housework, loading up most of the rest of the manure pile that we are trying to get moved ( I did most of it on Saturday- ) transporting it in the dump trailer to a farm nearby who is using it in their landscaping, moving the hay wagon to ( and from ) where Rob was haying, ( we now have a lovely half wagon full of second cutting sitting in our indoor ), giving Hunter a mini-riding lesson on Jack ( he looks very cute in his helmet- trotting Jack around the round pen )  then back to the house to start dinner. Hmm...I think working tomorrow may be easier than my day off!

Here is a pic of one of Coloso's babies who I recently bought- ( I picked up his full brother as well- both are lovely- they are very well bred with strong potential to be Performance.)

                               

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Pulled a late night last night. Worked all day, left in the late afternoon with a load of hay for Rosanne. Went from there down to Maryland to pick up two sale Paso mares. Both are really sweet, a three year old filly who is well trained. She is quiet on the trails ( you can pony your dog off of her ) goes through water, will go out on her own. She is very well bred and very well gaited, and would be great in the show ring as well as on the trails. ( asking $1650 for her )  The other is a super cute pinto paso mare. She is 11 and loves to run barrels and other gaming patterns and is just an all around fun mount. Really awesome little mare. ( $1650 for her as well )

Our yearling colts are all doing well. We led Scotty and Spoc out to a turnout yesterday afternoon for a bit and Hannah got a pic of them romping.

Today we're just getting lots of riding/training done. Hope to get some mounted shooting practice in later this week as well.



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Here's what you will see when you first pull up to the Ranch. We've a few other improvements in the works, and it is nice seeing them in place.

Rob is off to Michele's getting the last of her hay done. We had several more wagons delivered yesterday and the crew got them put up in the loft, which is now pretty much full. We'll end up putting our second cutting on the loft floor. Been a few years since I've had the barn so full and its a good feeling.

We've been busy getting all of the paperwork ready to go for Nationals. It is amazing the amount needed for six horses, pages and pages of the stuff. I'll get it all shipped off to Robin R.'s tomorrow, as we will be stalled with her again this year. Looking forward to the time we will spend in Kentucky. The Horse Park is a great facility, very horse friendly, and we have an excellent group of horses and people going along. I've decide to 'brush the dust' off of my cart and take Calif into Driving class again. Harnessed him up and drove him the other day with Hannah and he was great. Such a good boy.
                                                         

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Lots of goings on at the Ranch. We're still putting in hay, and just the day to day business of running the farm and working the training horses is keeping us very busy.

Robbie and Pam attended a Craig Cameron Clinic this past Sunday at Malibu Dude Ranch. Robbie on Calif and Pam with her Sneak. They did well, worked hard, and swore they would never complain again about how hard they have to ride at home in lessons. ( Craig really worked them!!  :)   )

Julie and Nicole were also busy that day- they took Cowboy and JB to a local Dressage show, and Julie even took Cowboy in a cross rail class. Both horses ( and riders ) did great and we are very proud of them.

Robbie is still enjoying his Saturday evenings working at the rodeo at Malibu. Those nights have been a nice get away for me as well.

Our yearlings are thriving. We did bring two of them back down to the Ranch from Maribelles the other day, they all need work on halter stuff and handling in general.

I've some new adveertising stuff going on. Having an aluminum sign made for up by the road, and new truck magnets, and a beautiful bit of apliquie work done to the tailgate of the big horse trailer. Hyduchack Design is a local business and I am very pleased so far in my dealings with Matt.

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The boys and I are in the Chicago area, and I'm about to start my fourth day of work here. So far so good, all has gone smoothly ( which actually has me a bit worried- things are going way too smoothly- I'm waiting for something to happen! ) Hunter and Robbie are really enjoying their time with their cousins Jack and Kevin, and Jack and Kev are enjoying dog ownership for a week. ( Oscar is in heaven!- he not only is getting tons of attention here- he also got to sleep in a bed at the hotel on our way out here.)

Back at the Ranch all is going well. ( if it isn't- the crew isn't telling me- love them! ) Julie and then gang always seem to have it all under control when I need to go on a work trip or go to a show- for which I am eternally grateful. They all do seem to give a sigh of relief though when I do get home.

Here's a pic of my to cowboys, Robbie has been helping out Saturday evenings at the Malibu Dude Ranch Rodeo. ( Malibu Dude Ranch puts on a fabulous Rodeo every Saturday night between Memorial Day and Labor Day- if you haven't made it out there yet you need to go, it's a great time. )

We will hit the road for home sometime on Tuesday afternoon, so that we arrive home not too late on Wednesday. For now I need to get off the computer and get ready for work, a barn full of pony party ponies await me!

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Group ride at the Ranch today at 2. Should be nice weather for it. We've plenty else going on today as well, with training horse owners coming by to see their critters. Off to the rodeo tonight at Malibu Dude Ranch with Robbie, me to do teeth and enjoy the rodeo, and Robbie to work.

Michelle C stopped by yesterday with her kids and a friend. They all rode Dodge and had a gerat time. I enjoyed the pics that they posted on facebook-

Rob- sore knee and all- hopes to have a break in the weather again soon to be able to continue to cut hay. He did have an MRI taken yesterday, but no results on that until Monday or so.



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Summer is flying by! We've had our barn so full with training horses, have been getting hay in and getting ready for shows that I've barely noticed that July is on the downside already.

We had 8 horses at the Cobleskill Show last weekend, and had a wonderful time. Everyone did so well, I'm proud of the whole crew and their mounts. ( the pic is of Maribelle's Torey and some of his ribbons )

Rob hurt his knee last Thursday. He jumped out of a hay wagon, landed wrong and sprained his knee. The Dr. thinks he may have a torn ACL, he goes back in today for an MRI. Hoping that it is not too bad.

Julie and Jeff are off for a brief visit to Ohio. Julie has a bridal shower to attend and they are looking forward to visiting with her family. Kenny and Makayla are also away for a few days, getting in some fishing and R & R.

I'll be on the road soon as well. July always brings my yearly summer trip to the Chicagoland area for me to visit barns doing horse dentistry. I've a busy schedule mapped out already, but I'm also looking forward to spending time with my nephews.

Delivered Kat and her foal Kings Ransom and Rose's broodmare Limosina back over to Rose's place last night, then went on to Allentown with Raven, a Tenn. Walker mare who had been here at RO-NO for some training. We got back in late, but it was good to get them all delivered when it was cooler out.


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Maribelles hay is all in! Rob knocked it all down last week, and thanks to Kenny, his brother Anthony and Robbie- we got it all safely put up into Maribelles barn before the rain came. Such a good feeling to have our hay lofts full.

Time has flown by, by the end of the week we will be on the road to show at Cobleskill NY. We've eight horses going and everyone has been busy getting their mounts prepared for the show. Julie and I will have a hectic week getting all the horses worked, the trailers packed and the horses ready to show.

Kings Ransom will soon experience his first trailer ride. He and his Momma Kat will go to Rose's soon. There he will get acquainted with big brother Lightning. He is a super friendly colt and I know that Rose will enjoy getting to know this youngster better.

Today is Hunters 4th Birthday!!

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Aahhh... another nice, clear, cool, non-humid morning.  Feels very good, especially after the late evening putting in hay. We got all of our own first cutting in, a very good feeling. Love having my barn full of hay.

I managed to get everything on my 'to do' list yesterday accomplished!! That almost never happens, we'll see if I manage to do as well today. I've a pretty hectic morning scheduled, and then this afternoon we are loading up five horses and heading to Malibu Dude Ranch for a mounted shooting practice.

Congrats to Georgianna and family on their purchase of our little Mojito. He is a wonderful young Paso Fino gelding and he and the girls get along beautifully.

Congrats to Amy C. and her family on their purchase of Rain. Rain will be a good teacher to all of your kids Amy, enjoy her!


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55 degrees this morning! It will feel nice when we first head down to the barn, which will be a welcome relief from the past few days. It's not going to last though, the heat will be back later today with scorching temps on the way for the weekend. On a good note, the hay dries fast in this weather. Rob dropped some hay on Saturday, which we got in yesterday. He dropped the rest of our fields yesterday, so with luck we will get all of that in today. There is nothing like the feeling of having our hay loft full! Once ours is in we'll move on to Maribelle's to get her hay done.

Had a very productive Mounted Shooting practice yesterday. Cardillo was perfect, even ponied one horse from him for a bit. Calif was really good too, so I was quite pleased with my boys. Jim and Jose had a great run of it too, Jim shot quite a few rounds off of Jose. We are pretty well set up for our practice at Malibu on Tuesday.

We have a full barn, lots of training horses in, keeping all of us super busy. The variety we have in is fantastic, QH's, Paso's, Tenn Walkers. Keeps us on our toes. It's a bit late in the season, but we did get our Capitan mare covered yesterday. JQ took a bit of coaxing to get it right, but finally he figured things out and bred the mare. Silly Stallion! This is a coveted crossing of pedigrees and we are really looking forward to this foal.

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Here's my little cowboy! This was taken at a mounted shooting event in Connecticut a month or two ago.

We are hoping to fit in a mounted shooting practice this Sunday. Had tentatively planned to go to a clinic on Long Island that day, just too much going on here tho to get away for the day. We may also be having a practice at Malibu Dude Ranch next week.


On a sad note, we have had a major loss in our family. Tony Enslin, husband to Robs sister Alison, passed away in his sleep this past weekend. Your thoughts and prayers for his family are much needed and appreciated. He has four children, and he was very much loved by all of us.


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My trip to do horse dentistry in Illinois will begin on July 25th ( we'll hit some spots in western PA ) and we'll head home on/around the 31st-1st. Looking forward to seeing my family, and to visiting with all of my clients.

Got some pictures of the QH mare Rain and of the Paso X QH Gelding Achilles. Both are doing very well and both will make great horses for someone.


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We have in a total of 8 new horses here this week. The black & white Paso Fino gelding Scout came in yesterday morning for a two week tune up while his owners take a summer trip, and I pretty much hit the trail right away with him. Today the farrier is here ( thank goodness the heat wont be as bad today ) I'm hoping to get most of the new horses worked today- over the past two days we were down a bit on getting everyone worked- just too hot out! Still, I think we got 7-9 horses worked yesterday, and will get to more than that today.

The 'mini clinic' with the Massage Therapist went well yesterday- the Equissage Unit is wonderful, we could really see how it would be beneficial to our horses.

Here is a pic of Kings Ransom, he and his mama are doing very well. He sure does gait.

We're hoping to get some hay done. It's been frustrating- they've called for rain almost everyday- and it hasn't rained- we could have had most of our hay in, but what do you do. With luck we will get to it soon.






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Robbie and I are finally home from our journey. The PFHA Youth Leadership Camp went extremely well. We had 11 youth attend the camp and they were all fantastic kids.

Kat did finally foal out, had a lovely dark bay/black colt with a star. He is gorgeous and already is gaiting up a storm.

Got in 7 new horses yesterday. Two are Coloso offspring out of a black and white Amadeus mare.One is a pinto, the other a very unique chestnut. I'll be getting them under saddle and then putting them up for sale. These boys are really nice and I'm looking forward to working with them. Two others are a QH Gelding and a TB X Paint gelding that are here for training. There is a Tenn Walker mare that I picked up from Allentown last night that is her for training, and the last two are sale horses. One is a lovely 9 yr old QH mare, a 'husband safe' horse who is great on the trail and in the ring. ( owner is asking $2000 for her and it's a great price for this horse) The other is a two year old Paso X QH, he is a lovely guy buckskin, gelding. He has had a fair amount of ground work, has had a saddle on and has had a lot of lunging and rope work under his belt. She would like $1500 for him.

The two Mountain Horses who have been here for training go home today. They have been wonderful to work with and we are happy sending them home well started and ready to work. 


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Hadn't realized it had been so long since I'd made a post on here. Right now I am sitting at a hotel in Lexington Virginia. Robbie and Anni Shaffer are with me, and we plan to hit the road in the morning for Lexington Kentucky. We were in Virginia for the Mason Dixon Spectacular Show, and we are going to Kentucky for the kids to participate in the PFHA Youth Camp.

The show in Virginia went very well. Nicole rode both Cardillo and Pastor, Rose rode Pastor, Alaina rode Jose and I showed Cardillo in trail and JQ in Performance Stallions and all of us have blue ribbons to take home. The horses were very good, and we were pleased with them. We did host another Extreme Cowboy Race on Saturday evening. It was a hoot, had around 10 entries, and provided good entertainment for all the folks enjoying dinner/party up in the stands. Jim and the gang ( Alaina, Rose and Nicole, along with Cardillo and Jose )left Virginia around noon time today, and they've just made it back to the Ranch. We have Pastor, JQ and Torey with us, as I agreed to supply some horses for use during the camp.

Back at home we are still waiting for Rose's mare Kat to foal. She is finally really bagging up and Julie thinks it wont be too much longer. The crew led Scratchy ( last years orphan who has thrived ) and Charlie down to the Ranch from Maribelle's on Saturday. All the yearlings need some handling and we decided to start with these two. Julie is busy getting more training done on our Mountain horses and Paso's while I'm gone, along with managing all the other horses who need to be ridden/worked. Busy days at the Ranch!

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June has arrived and we are enjoying some nice riding weather. Julie and Nic are preparing to hit the road in the morning for a Dressage show, and Thursday a bunch of us will be on the road for first Lexington Virginia, then Lexington KY with our Paso's. The show horses are all fit and ready to go, and we are looking forward to hitting the ring. I'll have a couple of hectic days ahead of me to have everything ready, but it is worth it.

Tonight a bunch of us are heading to Malibu Dude Ranch in Milford PA to see the rodeo! It will be a nice night out.

Have a brood mare due to foal, she was actually due on the first of June, but she doesn't look like she's going to go anytime too soon. We're getting her in every evening and letting her back out to pasture each morning. This foal is a full sibling to Savannah, who is really looking like she will be Fino,so we are excited about this baby.

We have 5 yearling colts that really need to get some handling on them. They live up at Maribelle's farm, so our plan is to start bringing them here one by one for about 2 weeks each to get them really halter broke well and handled a lot. Scratchy, the orphan foal who fortunately really thrived, is the only one of the bunch with a lot of handling, so I guess we will save him for last. I do think that I may keep him, he may be my next 'Calif'. :)

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Even though 'Is that a mare?' seemed to be the foremost thought on Cardillos mind the entire weekend- he did perform extremely well for me at the Mounted Shooting competition. There were 35 competitors  on both of the very hot days that we were at the Round Tuit Ranch in Enfield CT. We had 14 riders in my division and Cardillo ended the day in 4th place. If my aim had been a bit better our placing would have been better as well. Any and all mistakes made in my runs were mine- not Cardillos- he really did his job well. There were 22 entries for the Cowboy Challenge. In this we had to shoot 5 balloons, re-holster and negotiate 5 obstacles, then shoot another 5 balloons. We took 6th in this event- the 2nd through 6th placements were all within a second or two of each other- it was a blast.
Even with the heat we had a good time, and it makes me really look forward to competing in KY this fall at the Paso Fino Nationals.

It was in the low 90's here yesterday- and looks like today will be the same. Got plenty of horses ridden/worked, and Jim brought his tractor over to help work on sinking fenceposts and cleaning out run in sheds. Rose came and rode, as did Nicole and Deb L. Today we will try to get the chores done early before the wort of the heat hits- and will go easy on how hard we work the training horses. I'll be on the road a bit this afternoon doing teeth, then home to the ac. Guess I'll have to make a feed run as well today- We've one mare due to foal this spring, she is due June 1st, but so far she's not bagging up all that much- so it may be awhile.

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Long day at the barn yesterday. Once chores were thru, we started working horses and taking turns hauling in horses for the farrier. He had a pretty extensive list yesterday and we sure kept him busy. He ended up not finishing until nearly 9 last night.

Laid three horses down yesterday. The practice of lying a horse down is very popular at some training barns, more so out west than in this area. I've done it in the past here and there, and thought that I may get a bit more into the practice of it now. The first horse I worked is a mare who is very sweet, but very pushy and 'mare-ish'. She really was not happy about my taking her legs away and laying her down, and it took awhile for her to relax and not wrinkle her muzzle at me once she was down. She seemed much more respectful of my space afterwords, and stood very nicely for the farrier. The second horse, not sure how much he got out of the experience. This one was a stallion who has a few issues under saddle. He pretty much put up no fuss about being laid down, and lay there as tho it was his idea to be trussed up on the ground. Pretty nonchalant about the whole thing. The third horse was Cardillo, the palomino stallion that we are taking shooting this weekend. Really not having any problems with him at all, did this pretty much to remind him that people are in charge ( he's gotten a wee bit rammy with it being spring- and we did breed him for the first time not long ago ) Thought it a good idea to refresh his memory on the whole 'respecting people thing' before heading out for the weekend. He's pretty laid back, and will bow for us, has even laid down during bowing practice before, so I thought he'd be pretty easy to lay down.Wrong! He really did not like the idea of having his freedom taken away and put up a bit of a fuss. When he did go down though, he relaxed right away and was quiet.

Packing today to be ready to hit the road this afternoon with 4 horses in tow. We are off to Conn. for a weekend Mounted Shooting event!

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The Syracuse show went very well. We left here around 5:45 in the morning, and made it to the showgrounds by 9. Off loaded everything, and hung out waiting for the Stallions class. This show has a variety of breeds going, Morgans, Saddlebreds, Half-Arabians, Hackneys and more, so he wait was not boring. It's always enjoyable getting to see other breeds strut their stuff in the ring. The Stallion class for us went very well, he behaved, and we left the ring with the blue ribbon. Then we were in for a long wait. I really wanted to enter him into the Performance Championship, and that was not going to happen until pretty late in the day. Finally, at 9:30 that night, they called us in. We had some great competition and JQ was 'on', and we came home with a Championship ribbon, a NYS Horse Breeders Assoc. cooler, and the title of 2012 NYSHBA Performance Champion. It was around 1:30 in the morning before I got to my house that night, but it was well worth it.

The weekend flew by. While I was off showing JQ, Julie was spending a nice day off with her parents who had come to visit. While they were in town, Jeff proposed, so Julie is a happy camper. :)  They have started house hunting.

My next trip is to Conn. We've a mounted shooting competition to attend, and will be at it for the entire weekend. Cardillo has been working well, and Calif is doing good too. We may be taking a couple other horses along as well to help get them acclimated to the shooting. After that we have two weeks until the Lexington show, then right on from there to the PFHA youth camp in KY.


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It's been a crazy busy month. We have fantastic horses in for training, a great crew at the barn, and a schedule that is keeping us all on our toes. Yesterday we had the owners of the Rocky Mountain Horses that are here for training here for a visit. Both horses have been working wonderfully and we had a good time showing off what they have learned. I also was able to show them a few of our stallions. Speaking of stallions, Cardillo has been a happy boy this week. My mare London had come into heat and she was slated to be covered by him this year. This is his first season for breeding.



JQ and I are slated to show at the Syracuse Show this Friday. I've ( almost ) all my paperwork in order and we'll be hitting the road early that day. Maribelle will be joining us, and we will enjoy getting to see our Paso friends from the North East.



The latest edition of the Paso Fino Horse World is out, and it has the article I submitted about Richard Gregory and his Paso mare Nina. The editor, Catherine King, did a lovely job presenting it, and she very kindly forwarded me a letter she received from one of the magazines subscribers, I've posted it below;

"As a new member of the Paso Fino Assoc. I always look forward to the monthly magazine. Mays' edition is my absolute favorite thus far. Letters from a traveling man actually made me a bit teary eyed. How lucky is Nola Haupert-Keill to have placed one of her horses with such a fabulous person? I wish I were his grand daughter or at least one of his riding buddies! And the letters and pictures are such a priceless keepsake. Really such a wonderful story. I also enjoyed reading about El Pastor, what a character. Thanks so much for such a great, shareable, readable magazine! Beth from  NC"

If you go to www.pfha.org you can located the magazine to view the article and see the pictures.

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Long week! Our show went very well, we got loaded up and on the road w/out incident. The show ran surprisingly smoothly and everyone did very well. It was great getting to use the new trailer! The horses all loaded up on it well, and traveled quietly. Our Extreme Cowboy Race on Saturday evening at the show was a hit, tons of people entered and it was great entertainment.

Monday was spent running. I ran to town for groceries, grain and sawdust, then ran to the dentist for me, and then ran for a load of hay. That took up most of my day. Kudos to Julie and the crew, as the barn work all got done and all the horses on the work list were schooled.

Tuesday..long but productive day. I did paperwork in the morning, then went to the barn to meet with some folks who trailered in their Paso gelding for me to evaluate. He is a 12 year old bay/black gelding who is very well gaited, and he was lovely. They will most likely be selling him, so if you know of anyone looking for a nice, small gaited gelding with some pep let me know. Then I did get a few horses worked before I had to hit the road. Went and got new tires put on the maroon trailer, then met up with Jim to go pick up a horse. Folks had called me about a Percheron mare that they needed to have euthanized. She had become very aggressive and it had been recommended to them that they had her put down. They did not want to do it at home, so they asked that we pick her up and take care of it from there. Jim helped me get her loaded and we headed home.

Once all was taken care of with that, I stayed at the house ( chores were done as it was already early evening ) and started dinner. Had a relatively quiet evening and was thinking about hitting the hay when I got a phone call. Our friend Michele up the road needed help with a lambing.She's been trying for quite awhile to get a breech lamb turned in a ewe, but was having no luck and was getting tired from her efforts. I tossed on some old clothes and headed over to help. sad to say though, after we tried for another 1 1/2 hours we lost both ewe and lambs. Poor Michele has had a long week, rough lambing season this year.

On a happier note, got word from Erin last night that she was n the hospital and would most likely be staying, time for her baby to greet the world!


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Today will be a whirlwind day! I have to hit the road early to go to the neighbors for a sheep feeding lesson ( Have to feed for her for a day or so this week while she is out of town ) Then am running to Abbey Glen- a horse crematorium in NJ ( am dropping off a horse from our RO-NO Removal Service ) Then race back home to pick up Robbie from school ( he gets his braces off today) then after that I have an appointment to make- all this and I'll have Hunter along for the ride- with any luck I'll fit in working a horse or two when I get back before heading to the house to make supper- not even enough time this morning to put something into the crockpot...


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Great clinic yesterday. We had six horse/rider teams and the horses worked great. Thanks to everyone for coming and making it such a fantastic day. We got a lot of extra riding in afterwards, Allie made it out here from NJ ( she was hoping to make the clinic but couldn't quite get here in time- so we ad-libbed and kept going ) Lisa Lee rode a horse or two for me, and Makayla, Kenny and Hannah kept on riding well into the evening. ( then the all went either fishing or to the movies- oh to be young again!! )
Our new training horses are all progressing well, I cannot wait to get into the saddle with them, they are all very nice quality animals and they are going to be fun to ride. Today is my day to get the house cleaned and get paperwork done. The sun is shining and I am enviously looking out the window at the crew down in the arena working with the horses. I'll have my turn out there later though. This afternoon I need to work with our coming yearlings, and then late in the day we will have our mounted shooting practice.
Just a few more days to be ready for the Dillsburg Show. All the horses got worked yesterday and they are doing very well. Robbie will be showing in Performance for the first time, he looks great in his tux!

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Frost again this morning. Springs reminder to not plan on planting anything until after Memorial day. After the weeks of very warm weather earlier this spring, I was very tempted to fill our planters with new spring flowers, and I'm glad I resisted. It was 29 degrees yesterday morning, and at 5 this morning it was 27 degrees. It's due to warm up nicely today, so I have no complaints.

Time sure goes by quickly. We've only today and tomorrow to get ready for this Saturdays Gaited Horse Clinic. I've two Pasos coming down from NY state, the Tenn. Walker owned by Peggy of Bubbas Tack, and a bunch of in house riders participating in the clinic. We may have one or two more 'out of towners' bringing horses as well. It will be a fun and productive day.

Had a group session last night for the Mounted Shooting, and it went well. Am planning on a more extensive practice on Sunday. We are hoping to have a nice group of horses going to a shooting competition late in May up in Conn.

Here are a few pics of the new trailer. It tows beautifully and I am super pleased with it. It still seems a bit foreign to see it sitting in my barnyard.

We leave a week tomorrow for the Paso Show at Dillsburg. We've a lovely group of horses going and everyone is really looking forward to the show.


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Good morning friends. I am sitting at the computer in Henrietta Ratliffs kitchen in Florida, watching hummingbirds feed while waiting for my sister-in law Alison to finish getting ready to head outside. Alison and I left North Carolina yesterday morning to head for Atlanta. We got there a bit early ( my appt was at 2 ) se we had lunch while the truck had its tires rotated and balanced. Then we went on our way and pulled into the Ford dealership that was storing the Featherlite trailer that I'd driven down to purchase. It is gorgeous! It is huge! It tows beautifully! I LOVE IT!! I've been so excited about this new acquisition for the Ranch, it's been much needed. I did a lot of on-line searching to find just the right trailer, and the only thing this one is missing is a roof hay rack, which hopefully I will soon be able to have one put on. I'll try to get pics up soon, for some reason the ones that I sent to facebook from my phone are not wanting to go thru.

Today we will spend the day at Greener Pastures, though I do have some teeth to do as well. Then in the morning we will be hooked up and headed north with a new broodmare for a client, and will get to West Virginia to pick up some training horses.

Have a great weekend!


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It's 4:15 and I have just enough time to throw a few sentences on here before I have to hit the road. I'll pick up my sis-in-law by 5, and we will head for Maryland to do teeth at Lisa Gorsuch's place ( lots of lovely Paso Finos ). From there we will continue south to Georgia, where my new trailer awaits me! It is a 2009 6 horse slant load Featherlite and everyone here at RO-NO is excited to see it arrive back at the ranch. Once we've got everything settled in Georgia we will trailer to Florida to Greener Pastures to pick up a lovely Capitan Paso mare who will be coming to RO-NO to be bred to Rosannes Jarenero Stallion Je Ne Sais Quoi Sin Par. Once we're out of Florida it is north to West Virginia. We've two Rocky Mountain horses to pick up for training, and then a Paso Fino mare to pick up at another location. She's headed to RO-NO for training as well.
I'd best close down the computer and finish packing. I'll post pics soon of the new trailer!

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The weekend just flew by! I had a wonderful time with my family yesterday. We went to the massive garage sale at West Point. Today was cooking and cleaning, and then Erin's Baby Shower here at the house at 2. We had a lovely time, Erin and her baby got some wonderful gifts to help welcome the youngster here. She is due one month from today. After the baby shower, a bunch of us met at the barn to tack up and head out back with the guns. We had a very constructive mounted shooting practice and had a great time too. Julie even hopped up on Cardillo to take him for a spin, with gun in tow and she and he did a fine job of it. Jim shot off of Jose for the second time, Michelle had Dodge tacked up and made a few runs while 'mock' shooting, and Erin rode too! She hopped up on Calif, in her sundress!!, and rode around for a bit after we were all done with the shooting practice. All in all a very nice weekend.


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It's so good to be home!! We had a great trip/time in Arizona, and as always I really enjoyed seeing my folks and having my hubby along while I made my rounds. But still, it's good to be home!

The gang here did a great job holding down the fort while we were gone. It was a busy week, and they got everything done! It's going to be busier yet soon, spring is here and everyone wants their horses worked. We've a full plate, but we're all geared up to work and things are going ( relatively ) smoothly. The horses have been working well, and we've some lovely ones to work with right now. It is only going to be a few more weeks and we will be at our first Paso show! We are all looking forward to it. ( That reminds me- I need copies of 2012 PFHA membership cards from all of you who are going to show) (This is not an USEF show, so those cards are not needed yet.)

I'll have to be on the road for a few days next week. Trip to MD to do teeth, to Georgia to pick up the new trailer, then FL to pick up a client horse, then WV to pick up 3 new training horses. Like I said, it's been busy!

Today we got our share of horses worked, five of the 10 who will be going to the show. Tomorrow should be good and productive, I've lots of help lined up. Rosanne made it out today and rode Pastor and she and I worked Savannah on double lines for Bella Forma. I'm hoping to do more of the same tomorrow, and maybe fit in some mounted shooting as well.


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HAPPY EASTER!!! I wish all of you a wonderful day.

Our trip in AZ is coming to a close. I do have a little work to do today, and a full day tomorrow, and Tuesday morning we will head home. We've had a very busy trip, our days full with work and evenings filled with visiting my folks and enjoying margaritas! Tomorrows job is at a very fun place, full of trick horses, mounted shooting horses and great characters to chat with.

Julie has had her hands full at home. She's been riding overtime, to cover for me, and has had to deal with loose mules and loose steers. We had to call in the cavalry ( a nearly nine months pregnant Erin ) to bring the cattle home. What a sight that must have been, very cute, very pregnant girl in a sundress luring home the steers with a bucket of grain!! Wish I'd been there to see it.

Time to get ready for Church, then home to change and go work, then back home to my folks for Easter dinner.

Enjoy your day!


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Woke up this morning to see the sun coming up over the mountains!! It is a cloudless sky here in Arizona, and shortly Rob and I will be on the road to start the first of my rounds. Yesterday went quite smoothly, no real hitches to our travels and we got to my parents place relatively early. The remainder of the day was pretty fuzzy though. We had gotten up at 12:30 a.m. to head to the airport in Philly ( Rob and I had to chuckle on our drive out- the bars were still open and here we had already gone to bed and gotten up again ) and I really didn't sleep much during our flight. Then my Dad made two batches of margaritas, so I went to bed early to rest up. With the 3 hour time difference here I was afraid that I'd be up and awake at 2 or 3 in the morning, but managed to stay asleep until nearly 5 this morning, and I feel rested and ready to work.

Julie and the crew at home had a very productive day yesterday, and hopefully things go smoothly for them today as well.


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Delivered 'Emily' to her new home last night. She is the Paso mare that came up from North Carolina last week. Her new 'Mom' is just thrilled with her, and all seemed well when I delivered her. I now have their nice QH gelding for sale. He is a good sized, handsome boy, chestnut w/flaxen mane and tail. The woman who owned him had decided that she needed a smaller, narrower horse to ride, thus her reason for acquiring Emily. ( Carolyn had broken both legs in January, and sitting astride a wide horse now seems a bit difficult.) 'Rusty' , her QH, will get worked a few times and will be for sale. He is a nice trail gelding.

Today I'll be doing laundry and getting out the suitcases. We will hit the road very early on Tuesday morning, headed to Arizona. I've a full schedule, and I have my Dad's margaritas waiting for me!

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Wish me luck! I'm working with the bank to get a loan for a new horse trailer. It's time to upgrade and get a bigger trailer, and I've found a lovely lightly-used Featherlite that I would love to acquire. Getting it will make getting to the shows much less of a procession.

Our two new horses from NC are lovely and are doing well. Ollie, the Arab that we started recently, is going great. I say 'we' started, Julie and Erin get most all of the credit for this guy. Julie has him going walk/trot/canter and he looks to be a lovely ride. Our stallions are all performing very well, can't wait to get them in the show ring. My young colt Mark got gelded this past Monday, and he is doing great. It's been nice having him in to handle a bit, he is a very sweet young Paso.

Well, I'm off. Have to get a load of square bales this morning, round bales tomorrow and a load of sawdust on Monday. Then we are off to work in Arizona for a week!

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It was a great weekend at RO-NO!! Our Gaited Horse Clinic was fun and full, with 8 horse/rider teams and plenty of auditors. The horses and riders worked hard, and all had a grin on their faces when we were done. It felt great to help so many people get a little more in tune with their horses. Our auditors had some great questions and comments too. Thank you to everyone who participated.

Sundays Mounted Shooting Mini-Clinic was a hit as well. We had five horse/rider teams and even though all of the horses started out being pretty fresh, they all settled into the work and left the ring doing much better than how they started out. Mounted Shooting is So Much Fun!!

I've only a week to get everything set to run smoothly while I am on the road again. Easter week brings our yearly trek to Arizona. I've a heavy work load to cover there, and a lot to organize here before we go.

Today the vet comes, we'll get a few more coggins pulled and shots given, and a colt gelded. Busy day at the Ranch!

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Our week is flying by at top speed! The busy weekend is nearly here, and we are really looking forward to it. Today is farrier day, John will be here early. He stopped by for a bit last night as he knew we were doing some mounted shooting practice. Tomorrow, on top of our regular chores, we will be getting the place ready for the Gaited Horse Clinic, and for our Mini-Clinic on Sunday for our Mounted Shooters.

Hannah, our new working student, is working out just fine. She's rapidly getting the hang of riding the Pasos, and is taking good care of all the critters up at Maribelles. We all worked late last night, it was so nice out we kept on going with getting horses schooled, then had Conni here to ride Chief, them practiced with the Mounted Shooting. Tonight will run a bit late as well. We plan to work again on collecting Pastor and Calif. It went well on Sunday, and I just want to be sure that the horses are good to go when we are called to send a shipment out. After that is done, Rob and I have a Removal Service call to go on. Today too we have a new worker coming in. He is one of Rob's ( second or third ) cousins, and he is a good farm hand.

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It's been a lovely weekend. The weather was about the best any of us have seen, 70's, sunny, no wind, no bugs. Hopefully we don't pay for it later.

One of my clients is selling her black Tenn. Walker. His name is Jet, he is registered and he is a lovely horse. To quote her, "I'm more concerned with finding him a good home & someone to love him than the $$. He's a special horse." He is a doll, nice, smooth gelding, pitch black. He is on the energetic side, likes to have a job. She is asking $3500.

We've a busy week ahead. Shooting practice is starting up, I want to start getting Cardillo going under harness. Hannah arrived safely and she is ready to work. We've much to get done before the upcoming clinics this weekend. ( Sunday will be a small mounted shooting clinic! )

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Headed home! Right now I am cooling my heels at the Tallahassee Airport, flight has been delayed due to heavy fog, hopefully I will make my connecting flights.

Florida trip was great, got lots of work done, and had a chance to ride at Greener Pastures, under Robins tutelage. Great time as always. Rose made the trip out on Monday evening, and she got a few lessons in as well. We celebrated my B-Day on Tuesday evening, and Robins B-Day on Wednesday evening. Then yesterday, after riding a few horses, Rose and I accompanied Robin to a Paso Show in Ocala. It was great getting to touch base with folks that we usually just see at Nationals.

Back to business as usual tomorrow. Have our regulars coming in the late morning, have a few new clients coming in the afternoon. Sunday we will work with Jen W on collecting a few of the stallions and such to get set for breeding season, and our new working student will be coming here around noontime! Busy weekend :)


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My Florida trip is progressing well. Worked on about 18 very nice Paso Finos yesterday at Greener Pastures. I'm off this morning to work on a few Pasos at another farm, then have rounds to make for the rest of the day. From there I will either head back to Henriettas and go out with the gang tonight to listen to a local band, or I'll head west in preparation for my days work tomorrow out near Pensacola. I'll just have to see what the day throws at me.

After tomorrow most of my work will be local to where I am staying, and on Monday Rosanne flys in, so a lot of our work will be focused on finishing up here at Greener Pastures. My birthday and Robins birthday are this coming week, so one night we will get a chance to go out and celebrate!

Off to take some ibuprofen now so that my arm is limber enough to work!

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Sitting in an airport in Charlotte NC waiting for my connection to Tallahassee. Yesterday was a long, drawn out day with lots needing to be accomplished before heading to the airport this morning. But, it was a good day, we got a lot done, and I finished up not too late last night. Got up early to finish packing, and we hit the road at 6 this morning. Rob and Hunter in the car, and me in the truck. Dropped the truck off for repairs while I am gone ( from the mystery impact it received on Feb 1st )( it will be nice to come home to an un-dented truck ) then hopped in with Rob and Hunter and off to the airport we went for them to drop me off. Got checked in and thru security with no trouble ( Wilkes-Barre is getting fancy- they now have a cylindrical shaped security vault that you have to stand in, hands raised, before passing thru security ) and now here I sit waiting for my next flight. I'm using the time wisely though, I have my notices along that need to be addressed and stamped to send off to my AZ clients in preparation for next months trip.
The girls are all set for my absence. I filled the barns with hay yesterday, got in a new load of shavings, and the schedule is all set with which horses need to be worked on which days. They are efficient at what they do, and as always, I can rest easy knowing that everything will get done.
Once I land I'll grab the rental that is waiting for me ( thanks to my insurance company- this is my replacement for while the truck is being repaired ) and head straight to my first appointment. Just one job to do today, then off to Henrietta Ratliff's place at Greener Pastures, where a Scrabble game and a gimlet await me!


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We've another busy couple of days ahead of us. There is still a ton of snow on the ground from yesterdays storm, even though places west of here have nothing. All good though, as it is covering up the mud! Much of my day yesterday was spent getting caught up on paperwork, and getting things in order for my upcoming trip to Florida.

Things are changing up a bit for Maribelle, and I'm hoping that a positive spin is in the air. The young man who has worked for her for years let her know yesterday that his last day would be this Saturday! Now, Maribelle had knee surgery a little less than a month ago, so she is reliant upon her helper and us to get all cared for up at her barn. While I do possibly have someone new coming on at RO-NO soon who would work for her, we were not ready for so sudden a departure of her help. He had moved in to her house quite a few months ago ( he apparently had no where else to go, so kind hearted Maribelle opened her home to him ) Anyway, I made a call last night and have a wonderful guy lined up to come over today to meet with Maribelle and hopefully start work on Sunday/Monday. It may only be temporary, but I think it is a positive step up for Maribelle and her horses. We'll see where things go from here.

Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day. The farrier will be here, I may have a new working student stopping by to meet us, and Jen W is stopping by to go over some of our breeding/collection equipment with me as well. Should be a full and enjoyable day!


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Here are a few shots from the expo.

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What a whirl-wind February has been. Hard to believe that March is right around the corner. All the time that we spent getting people and horses ready for the PA Horse World Expo was well spent, our demos were great and we all had a great time. There is nothing like having Youth riders out on the arena floor showing off for the crowds, and doing it well. They worked hard to prepare for it and it showed! Good job everyone!! And many thanks to all of you who helped prepare for the demo, and helped out to man the booth and set up/tear down. This is volunteer work to help promote the breed that we love, and the Association that we show under, and all the help is very much appreciated.

We are slammed here at RO-NO. Spring fever is hitting and I'm working hard to have room for all the folks wanting to get their horses in for training. It's a good problem :) I'll also be hitting the road soon for my yearly trip to do horse dentistry in Florida, and then we will have the second clinic in our spring series of gaited horse clinincs. Got to talk with a lot of folks at the expo, and many are planning on attending our remaining clinics. I'll need to schedule a few more, and need to schedule some trail trials/extreme cowboy races as well.

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Saturdays Clinic was great. We had 5 horse/rider teams and plenty of auditors. Peggy and Dave from Bubbas Tack Shop were set up, we had tons of donuts and lots of hot coffee, and the day flew by. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves, and folks all said they would be back for the March Clinic. I really enjoyed working with everyone and answering questions, it was a very pleasant day!

Today was spent ( as will be the next couple of days ) getting things ready for the upcoming PA Horse Expo in Harrisburg. We will head out around noon time on Wednesday to get the stalls set up, the horses schooled, bathed and settled in. Thursday we have our first stallion demo and breed demo, and we will be helping man the Mason-Dixon PFHA booth. The horse expo is a lot of work, but it is also an enjoyable couple of days. We get to see people that we don't get to see but once or twice a year, and we also get to make new acquaintances as well.

So, I'll get off the computer now. I've buttons to sew onto a vest, other sew repairs to make on some show pants and on a horse cooler. Tomorrow I'll get a load of sawdust, get feed, load hay in the horse trailer, organize some tack containers, clip horses and so on. Phew, think I'd best try to go to bed early!!

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Today we'll finish getting ready for tomorrows clinic. To add to the days hecticness, I've got the vet coming out to geld the new training colt. He is really a very sweet Arabian, and we are all looking forward to getting him started under saddle. Also, Carolyn M and her family will be over around 1ish. Carolyn will be riding in tomorrows clinic, and she's here ahead of time to get to know the horse she will be riding. ( Torey ) I've got to hit the road early today to get in a load of hay, and with any luck I'll be able to fit in getting a few horses worked as well.


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Had an eventful day yesterday. I was scheduled to go pick up Jubilee, the big Irish Sport Horse mare, for a 'spring tune-up'. Earlier in the morning I received a phone call from a gentleman in Dallas PA. He had spoken with me previously abut getting a 3 year old Arabian colt of his to start, and he wondered if I could fit that in. Also, my neighbor Zack had a 2 year old TB filly he needed to pick up, so we worked together for the day to go get all of these critters.
Started with the colt. I wasn't sure what to expect, as I knew this fellow had not had much work. He ended up being s sweetie and we had very little trouble loading him. ( Zack actually put a shoulder to the colts rump and onto the trailer he went.) He traveled well and we soon had him safely tucked into a stall.
Then we went for Jubilee. She's been here before, and has loaded well, and has had times that she didn't load well. This was one of those times. I think she knew her vacation was over and it was time to go back to work! But with a little persuasion she was soon loaded up and headed to the Ranch.
Now for the third one. This mare wasn't too far away, it took less time to travel to her farm and home than it took to catch her! She's destined for the racetrack, but as of yet has not had a lot of handling. Zack had worked with her some for her owner awhile back ( thank goodness!) but she had not had much handling recently and she did not want to be caught. We arrived and went to her stall. Zack went in and tried for a bit to catch her up and get a halter on her, but the big filly was having none of that! We tried this and that for a bit to get a rope around her neck, but to no avail. Finally I used a long rope to make a loop and roped her. When the loop fell onto her head she was really not pleased!! I quickly got the rope dallied around a post and slowly inched her toward a corner. Then with Zack manning the rope I managed to get a loop of a lead line around her nose and around her neck, then got a halter on her. Whew... But that was just the first step! We still had to get her onto the trailer. We managed that without too much more trouble, and headed back to Zacks with her. She did sweat up a good bit, but she was a pretty willing filly, didn't want to hurt us, just didn't really know what was going on. Shouldn't be long and Zack will be riding her.

Today I head north into New York to work on a bunch of draft horse teeth, then back here to work a few horses. Lots to be done before Saturdays clinic!


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We have our times for the Paso Demos at the Horse Expo. We are first up every day for the stallion demos, 4:00 on Thursday, 12:00 on Friday, 1:00 on Sat and 11:00 on Sunday. Breed Demo times are 12:30 on Thursday, 6:00 on Friday, 9:30 on Saturday and 3:15 on Sunday. Come see us if you are at the Expo.

Saturday will be the first of our Gaited Horse Clinics. I've 6-7 riders lined up and I'm really looking forward to the day. Looks like we will have a full house of auditors as well.

I feel like my winter break is over. I've the clinic and horse expo this month. Florida trip and clinic in March, Arizona trip and clinic in April, and our first show is in early May!! I'm glad that winter has flown by!! Only 3 more weeks and we will start to see robins, and sap is already running. Yeah Spring!!


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Another weekend has flown by! No complaints, it just seems like I don't get everything done that I want to get to- I should be thankful that I have such long 'to-do' lists, and that I'm able to work on them every day.

Farrier day on Thursday went very well, horses behaved ( and for the most part so did our farrier ) We got plenty of critters worked, and the weather has been so agreeable! Friday was a whirlwind of a day- Erin and I slammed thru stalls, I got some errands run, took Robbie to the Dr.'s ( annual checkup ) and came home in time to work some horses before evening chores. Sat. morning I ran for round bales, helped with stalls, worked horses, gave lessons, then ran a load of hay to Rose's in the evening. Sunday was house cleaning, paperwork, cooking and then the Super Bowl ( plus a Scrabble game w/ Robbie )

Today I've a horribly long 'to-do' list- and I know I wont get to all of it, but I will try. Nic moved a lot of the breeding stuff up to the house from the camper, so I need to get organizing that as well. Rob spent a lot of the weekend working on my old truck, fixing the brakes on the dump trailer and cutting firewood, so he was not able to work on the sink- but I know he'll get to it soon. I'm going to be looking for a 'mini fridge' to put in the basement if anyone has a good one for sale!

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So this morning we get to find out from a groundhog what type of spring we have ahead of us. All I now is that the worst of winter is behind us ( and it really wasn't bad ) and even if we get hit hard by a couple weeks of real winter weather the end of it is in sight. Aahhh...

Tuesday was a warm, wonderful day. Decided to end the day with a nice relaxing trail ride, ...right... Our horses were goofy for a lot of the ride, jumping at shadows, but not really too bad, just feeling their oats. We got in a couple of nice runs, and some long stretched of good gaiting. On our way home both of our horses got a little spooked by someone chopping wood at the side of the road. A van came by just then, and Jim had to dismount to get Jose through. Just then two pick up trucks came roaring up, but slowed down due to the fact that the van had stopped, the road was narrow and we were squeezing through. The horses settled and we headed home. We were nearly back when we could hear the two trucks coming up behind us fast and hard. We had just gotten to a section of the road where there is barbed wire on either side, and it's pretty narrow. The trucks were a good 40-50 foot apart, and as the first one blasted past ( they didn't even attempt to slow down or move over!! ) Jim hollered to slow down, and I swung my horse in front of the second truck! The kid stopped ( just in time- but I knew he didn't want to get his nice little pick up's front end crumpled up by a horse ) Let me tell you, did I ever give those kids a well deserved tongue lashing. I think I was spitting fire and my head was rotating around on my shoulders like a possessed demon. There kids had been going way too fast ( this isn't the first time they've been speeding by). I have a three year old boy, and my neighbors have 3 year old twins! Our dirt roads are not race tracks, they are roads that belong to farmers and families, and these teens need to remember that. They're probably a bit miffed at receiving a lecture from a red-headed amazon, but so be it.

Today is farrier day. We've a long list for John, he definitely has job security here. We'll get critters worked, though a few will get a break today. Last night we had a good practice with the crew going to the expo, but then we gave those four horses their flu vacs, just to be sure that they have good immunity at the horse expo. We gave them some bute last night, so hopefully no one has a sore neck today, but just in case they get today off.

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It sure has been busy for late January. Today- last day of the month- it is supposed to be in the low 50's!! Hard to believe but easy to enjoy. We sure get a lot done every day.

The gang has been working hard on getting ready for the upcoming demos at the Harrisburg Horse Expo. We will have a flag being carried around ( and going over jumps and being passed from rider to rider ) the soccer ball will get kicked around, one rider dressed in costume and much more- it's been great that we've been able to to coordinate some group practices.

This past Sunday Rob worked on getting the sink put in downstairs. I've some new cabinets and counter space, and soon a nice double stainless steel sink. I've had more inquiries on shipped breedings, so we will be all set for it.

Yesterday I worked at the house in the morning, doing some web site updates, work on finishing some spreadsheets and a bunch of paperwork, including working on sending out my Florida notices ( my Florida trip is booked for March 8-16th ). I then set off with truck and trailer to pick up grain and a load of sawdust, got home and got all that unloaded, worked three horses then hit the road again to do teeth. I was glad to get home, even though I did have to get back on the computer for a bit.

This morning I'll do a bit more 'office' work, put a roast in the crock pot, drop the baby at the sitters, pick up some round bales then get to work. Should get a lot of riding done today. :)


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It's a productive day. We did have two RNRS calls last night, so I took care of finishing that work this morning, then after taking the truck and trailer to the car wash I headed to Hamlin for a couple of round bales, then hit the bank and grocery store. Got back to the ranch and the gals had all the stalls done, so we worked on filling tanks and Julie hooked up to the 2-Horse to get some loading training in on her Paso gelding Cowboy. He did pretty good, and we'll do a bit more with him later. Barn isles are swept, Julie is working Sneak, Erin is finishing up lunch hay and water, and it's just barely noon. Good morning!

This afternoon we will have a full house, Nic, Alaina, Robbie and I will practice with the four horses going to the expo, and Conni is coming to ride Jet. Then I've a scrumptious dinner planned. Not a bad day.

This pic is the ad going onto the PFHA e-news, Catherine King did a great job on it.

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40 degrees at 5:30 in the morning in late January! Hope to make it a good, productive day. Should be picking up some counter tops and a stainless steel double sink today for the basement project, had another inquiry on a breeding to Calif so I need to be sure to have my 'lab' up and running so that we have no issues come breeding season.
Had good rides on JQ and Pastor yesterday, Erin got Al ridden and Achilles worked. Julie has lesson today, and I hope to get several ridden this afternoon after my work/errands are all completed. Yesterday was a lot of running, round bales, bank, grain, library and so on, and Rob and I had to go on a Removal Service call in the evening. Makes for an long day, but at least the Hubby and I got some time to sit and chat.
I've faxes to send for the Horse Expo, so I am off to get that done before the monster..er..Hunter wakes up!


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We got home just in time. Drove through the snow all day on Thursday, wasn't too awful bad until it started to get dark, then the roads really slicked up. We were close to where Shanna goes to college, so we ended up staying at her apartment for the night. ( though we first hung out with a few of her friends, college guys who happened to be brewing beer that evening- they and Hunter got along great! :) ) Left the next morning, drove 3 1/2 hours to a barn near Sunbury to do teeth, and made it home by around 5 or so. I was exhausted!! It was a very long but productive trip. Woke up on Saturday to a good amount of fresh snow, was very glad we didn't have to drive in it.
Spent all of Saturday morning helping Rob with snow removal, then helped Julie finish stalls. Fit in working a horse or two, and then went to the house to collapse! I was very much in need of a day off.
Today ( my day off ) Rob and I went for a nice breakfast out, spent some time ( and Money ) at Sams Club, came home to unload groceries and started cleaning house. I've just finished unpacking my suitcase, and now I am done ( other than making dinner ) I'm planning on relaxing for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow will be nice out, a high near 50 ( so they say ) and we will get plenty of horses worked. I'll make a feed run, maybe get some round bales too, and go from there. Looks like a nice week ahead.


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One good thing about being on the road is that it gives me a bit of extra time to think. ( Though I suppose that can be a bad thing as well! ) Had a great talk with Rick Shaffer while working at his place on my way to Illinois, and what he had to say really encouraged me to get back into hosting some Gaited Horse Clinics, so here is what I have planned;

RO-NO
Ranch Spring Clinic Series: The Gaited Horse. February 18,
start
time 9:00 a.m.

3-24-12 and 4-28-12 are the dates for the 2nd
and 3rd clinics.

Gaited Horse Trainer Nola Haupert-Keill will
work one-on-one with horse/rider teams on a variety of topics/issues. Group work
at the end of the day. Please RSVP to reserve your spot. More info to follow.
Please contact us if you have any questions. Coffee and donuts will be provided.
Bring a packed lunch and a chair. $50 for horse/handler team, $20 for
auditors.

570-351-7966
www.ro-noranch.com

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It's 7:30 a.m. and Shanna, Hunter and I are in a hotel room in Indiana. We hit the road just before noon on Wednesday, headed for Somerset PA to work at Rick Shaffers doing some horses teeth. Spent the night in Somerset, as I had more work at a neighboring farm on Thursday. Left there around noon and headed towards Chicago, directly into a snow storm. We made it all the way into Indiana before the roads got too bad to continue. We're only about 150 miles away from my sisters, and I hated stopping when we were so close, but it would have been insane to try to continue. It is still snowing, but we will probably try to hit the road in an hour or so. Trucks are moving on the highway, so we'll see how it looks in a bit.

I've work to do outside of Chicago today, and fortunately they do not mind that I'll be behind schedule. Tomorrow is a super busy day, Sunday is busy, but I will cut it a bit short as my brother and his girlfriend will be coming to my sisters for dinner. Monday I will take one of my nephews along for a bit while I work, and Tuesday the other nephew will join me.

Gotta run, Hunter knows that there is a waffle machine in the breakfast room, so we need to go feed him!


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After a few hours of work on Sunday at Liberty Reins Ranch, Rob, Robbie, Jim, Jeff and I successfully got fencing fixed and horses moved to a different pasture; Jim got a good part of her turnout scraped; the guys fixed some lighting issues; and two stalls were put in. Felt very good to help gather this group and help out a friend. We will hopefully find another Sunday in the upcoming months to do more for her. Deb has done so much for us here at RO-NO, it's nice to be able to reciprocate and help her further her plans in her outreach towards our Veterans.

Yesterday I was running-running-running all day. Started out getting a ton of paperwork done and bills paid. I'll be gone so I have to make sure all is in order her at the ranch before I go. Then I hooked up the dump trailer, dropped it at the feed mill so that I could more easily get all of my errands and work done. Went on a dentistry call, hit the library, gas station, bank and grocery store. Then back to the feed store to load up on grain, hooked up trailer and went for a load of sawdust. Home to unload groceries, grain and sawdust, then back to the house to do more paperwork- and poof! the day was gone. Never enough time to get everything done!

Today will be more of the same- perhaps a little less hectic. ( or perhaps not- now that I think of the long 'to-do' list sitting on my kitchen counter!)


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Made pancakes with bacon in them for breakfast ( Robbie loves bacon- so we were experimenting- they were very good.) In an hour Rob, Robbie, Jim, Jeff and I will hit the road, headed to work at Liberty Reins Ranch for the day. Deb B needs help getting some stuff done, so we got a little group together to go help out. After that the Keills are off to a family B-Day party for Rob's nephew.

My trip preparations are nearly all set. Shanna, Hunter and I will hit the road late Wednesday morning. We'll head to Somerset PA to do teeth, stay over and hit another barn the next morning then proceed on to Illinois. My schedule is jam-packed for the week, and we will be home on the 20th. The weather is looking pretty good for the trip, and it looks like it will stay half decent here as well. Monday I will get a big load of grain, hopefully a load of sawdust as well. Will hit the bank and the library ( have to have books on CD for the trip!) May also see about checking out a couple of DVD's for Hunter, give him something new to watch during the long truck ride. Tuesday I'll finish up all the preparations to hit the road ( laundry! ) and we should be set to go.

Yesterdays weather was fantastic, Maribelle even came out for a ride on her Torey. Lots of us hit the trail, and all in all it was a very nice, productive day. We keep calling this the winter that wasn't! Even if it starts to get cold and nasty now, it wont seem as bad as past winters, simply because we all know that March is only 7 weeks away!!! Next month we have the Horse Expo, then I head to Florida in early March, we may hit a Paso show in VA in April, and we've the family trip to work/visit my folks in AZ in April as well, then the shows start in May! Wow... I think the Dillsburg show will be here before I turn around twice!!

We saw that Pastor was ranked high up under the PFHA # 1 Stallion. His sire, Profeta, has been the Top Stallion for several years, and for several years our Pastor has been ranked one of the top stallions under him. It was so nice to see his ranking ( # 5 ) Makes us very proud of our little fino stallion. JQ did well also, ranked #12 under Jarenero, who was #8.


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