One Guess Who Did It

Friends of R4C Ranch-- Who can tell me who the culprit is?

Horses have such unique personalities. When the water tank wasn't filling as quickly as I thought it should be, I took a peek and saw the hose was out of the tank and the water was flowing onto the ground. It only took me one guess to know which horse out of the nine in that lot it was that took the hose out. I put the hose back in, made sure it wouldn't come back out on its own, and started filling again.

Knowing the mischeivious personality of this horse, I stood there with my camera. I knew he just wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to mess with it again. It is still cracking me up that he came back up from the other side of the paddock as soon as he saw me put the hose back in the tank. You guessed it, he picked it up with his lips and pulled it out of the tank again!. Then he walked right passed me like nothing had happened.

Lady was a little different. Curious about my winter coats, scarfs, hats, and gloves for several weeks, she took advantage of a moment when I wasn't paying attention. When I was concentrating on chipping ice out of the water tank, she grabbed my hat in her mouth and pulled it right off my head. She ran to the other side of the paddock and turned around to face me. "Hat hair!" or "I win!" I wish I knew what that silly horse was thinking but it was obvious she was quite proud of herself.

Whether you are just observing in the pasture or paddock, or working with them one on one in a round pen, you will come to know the fun personalities God has given these wonderful equine friends of ours. If you have equestrian goals but can't afford a horse of your own, contact the ranch to find out about our Touching Hope ministry so you can come out and meet the horses. If you are too far to visit, follow the blog. We will be sharing all the fun stories and amazing ways God touches our hearts through this amazing partnership he has given us with horses.

Have you been touched by a horse? Share your story here. We'd love to hear from you.

Touching Hope

"I'm riding a horse!" --Seth
(L) Seth sitting in a saddle dreaming of riding a horse someday
(R) Seth 4 years later on his first ride.

Touching Hope

For those of you that have been a part of River Bluff Rescue Ranch and remember what God had done for everyone, I [Mike] would like to announce that we are going to try to make it happen again. We are not going to do the 501C3.

What we will offer is a safe, Christian environment where you can learn to train horses and learn to ride, care for, and communicate with our equine friends. Sometimes we will have ranch projects like building and repairing fences, clearing trees and brush from around fences, etc. Everything we offer is free of charge, donations are accepted and appreciated. All we ask is that you make the commitment to work hard to achieve your equine goals.

If you are interested please contact one of the ranch trainers:  
Mike Poland sddlebum@aol.com
Carol Poland wolfladycp@aol.com
Kim Brixey r4c.ranch@yahoo.com


All visitors to the ranch must have a signed waiver of liability on file at the ranch, under age 18 must be signed by parent or legal guardian.

2014 Foal Update

FOAL UPDATE:      Approximately 238 days (34 weeks) along and momma's belly has started to drop. Now what? We'll be watching:
      -- The belly widening and rounding
      -- The belly lowering and getting pointed
      -- Waxing and filling of the udders,
      -- For signs of foaling (315-360 days; avg = 340 days)
          Drops of milk; extreme lowering and changes in belly, vulva relaxing
       
    
    2014  Foal:
   No Alarm "aka Lady" X KA Odysseus

     We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our 2014 Arabian Foal due March 28, 2014. 
     Check back this spring for arrival photos and to watch our baby grow on our website at www.r4c-ranch.com ! 

     NOMINATIONS are in for our 2014 Foal. No Alarm's foal is nominated in 5 futurities and the AHA Sweepstakes plus US and Canadian Nationals. Mark your calendars for 2015 and come cheer for our baby who will turn 1 on January 1st, 2015. As a yearling, our one year old will travel to Scottsdale in February to theScottsdale Signature Stallion Futurity, to Reno, NV in July for the Silver Sire Futurity, and in September to Iowa for the Iowa Gold Star Futurity, Minnesota for the MN Arabian Horse Breeder's Futurity, and to Tulsa for the Green Country Arabian Horse Futurity. Lots of excitement to be had that year as we travel around the country showing off this special little horse. 
      Then as a three year old our foal will be eligible to compete at the US Nationals and the Canadian Nationals.Then it's onto the AHA Sweepstakes. Our foal will be eligible to compete for cash in the Sweepstakes classes for the rest of this horse's life.  

"Oh Good You're Here...a little help, please." From our series: Always Fun on the Farm!

     You never have a camera when you need one. Apache, fondly known as Knucklehead, was found trapped in a hay ring today.  The look on his face was priceless, "Oh good you're here. I seem to be in a predicament."

      Now, I am contemplating, "Do I run to the house and get my camera so I can get a pic to post on facebook or do I help him get out before he does something stupid?" I decide the house is too far away and

he may think I've left him for good and try something stupid. So I decide to stay.
      He keeps looking at me like, "Well? Do something."
      I ponder his dilemna for a moment. "Hmmm?" I think. "He got all four feet inside the hay ring somehow but he can't get himself out. How in the world did he get in? Did he just walk in or did he jump in? Was he chased in? Or did he just leisurely step in?

What Can You Get Done In 15 Minutes?

       When you run a ranch, you have so many things going on at once it's difficult to complete anything. Tasks need to be done timely or why bother. If you don't get your seed out by end of April, it won't get May showers to grow. Stabled horses have to eat on time or they will eat down your barn. Things have to get done when they need to be done so projects that don't have a deadline seem to sit unaccomplished.
      If you are a multitasker, I just have one question for you. Do you ever finish anything you start? My favorite part of any project is finishing it. I am not a natural multitasker because when I start something I like to focus on it and see it through to the end. If I don't, I seem to have a lot of started projects going all at once and soon I am so overwhelmed I don't want to do any of them.
     If you're a natural multitasker, you probably do not need to read any further. We can address finishing your projects in a later post. Running a ranch has taught me a lot about multitasking. Focusing on one project a time is usually not an option. You have to work with other people's schedules, wait on supplies to arrive, or stop and take care of an urgent need. When your neighbor knocks on your door to tell you your horses are on the road, it doesn't matter that you are not done setting the table for Thanksgiving dinner. It means, you grab some halters and head down the road to catch them and then investigate the fence and gates to find out where they got out.

The Pecking Order

     Horses are very social creatures. They form friendships, they grieve loved ones, and they communicate with one another. Most of the communication includes non-verbal cues to establish and maintain the social order.  Every horse in the herd has a place in the pecking order and reaffirms that position throughout the day. The pecking order is relatively constant from day to day as long as new horses do not enter or leave the herd.
   To maintain their rank, a dominant horse will

A Unique Gift

    

     The art of giving is on my mind as we begin to make our lists and narrow down our choices of gifts for our loved ones. Everyone wants to give a gift that will bless the reciever. That special gift that they can't or wouldn't get for themselves or better yet the perfect gift they never even knew existed.
     How do you chose a gift? You could