Rosie update

Rosie's front teeth started coming in right on time last week. She is trying harder at grazing and sharing her mom's grain. And I've had to discourage mutual grooming when I'm scratching her to avoid any biting habits because she's starting to catch my shirt in her teeth! I've been allowing them to graze in the back yard most evenings, but it's a challenge since they have to share the yard with the dogs. TJ the old lab mix doesn't even notice, Lucy the Dachshund watches and follows with interest, but Alex the greyhound with the broken leg thinks it's a great game when Rosie runs around. It's the craziest sight seeing the greyhound running on 3 legs chasing the filly around the yard with me bellowing at Alex trying to make him stop. It's not easy to make a chasing greyhound stop, even one on 3 legs. So far I don't think he has scared Rosie, but I'm trying to avoid that completely. There's few things worse than a horse who's scared of dogs. Alex just thinks it's a great game, and Rosie is not much bigger than him, so apparently it's even more fun with someone just your size. Hopefully this weekend the new pasture's fence will be complete, and I can move Tucker and Spartan over there with the other horses to give Gem and Rosie some grazing space besides the back yard.

I think I've produced an Indian Shuffler! I thought I saw it right after Rosie was born, but I wrote it off as learning to walk. When she figured out cantering, it seemed to be all she did. But I've seen it a few more times now, a funny amble between a walk and a trot. Her dad is Ulrich bred, but I didn't think shuffled. I've never ridden her mom, but I don't think I've ever seen her shuffle either. I'm so excited, I can't wait until she's old enough to ride! Now I'm wondering what I'd get if I bred Gem to a known shuffler. I just have to figure out how to encourage the shuffle in Rosie. I don't want to lose it.

Foal update

My 5 year old daughter Katie decided she wanted to name the filly Red Rose. We compromised and will call her Rosie. I think her registered name will be Gems Phat Red Rose, but I haven't entirely decided. Dr. Nicole Ferguson came out Tuesday evening to check up on Rosie and Gem. Both were perfectly fine, and Rosie's IgG was adequately high. Rosie had become a handful at less than one day old, but we were able to contain her for the exam. Later that evening when I put the girls in their stall, I attempted to dip Rosie's umbilical stump in iodine. I soon found that it was no small task. Rosie had decided that I was a big monster, and iodine ended up everywhere. Last night I decided Rosie needed some undemanding time near me, so I pulled up a bucket and sat in the stall for a long time. Curiosity of course got the best of her, and she came over to check me out. She still wasn't sure, but she wasn't running away. I left it at that. This morning after I turned them out, it started raining pretty hard. Rosie was a little agitated by this new feeling. When the rain slacked off a bit, she cantered and bucked around the paddock occasionally pausing to rub her front legs with her nose to counter that strange tickly water-running-down-the-legs feeling. When she came back over to check me out again, she rubbed her wet head on me which gave me the opening to start scratching all her itchy spots. She soon realized that I wasn't so bad since I had awesome grooming fingers. Yay, I think we're over the scary monster stage! Let's hope she remembers by the time I get home from work tonight!