Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Rachel & Grandma and Arabian Horses Go Show in Salem


The May 30 deadline for submission to the Carnival of Horses is fast approaching. All you horse mommy bloggers out there, it's time to step up and Submit your entry ! Let's use this Carnival to spread the word about horse blogs and what a great resource they can be.

Now onto the show...........

It's been several years since I've shown Arabian horses at the fairgrounds in Salem, Oregon. Mostly that would be because I just haven't had horses ready to show with the birth of the twin Arabian foals and other interventions by life along the way.

I've always like showing horses in that facility. The walls are solid up over the horses' heads making it less distracting particularly for young horses. The warm-up arena is much much bigger than the one at Puyallup or the Tacoma Unit. Some horses come up from California and Nevada to show. That makes for a different mix than we get to see here in Washington. Then there's just a warmer feeling about those shows.

The downside of showing in Salem for me is the drive and of course a place to stay. Not that four hours is anything terribly awful but I have my horror stories of a couple of breakdowns. I guess that makes me leery. Between that and always going alone it's just not one of my favorite things.

This time was different because I had Rachel along. It's the first time I have made the trip with anyone with me. I was looking forward to the company. It was going to be nice to have another set of eyes going through Portland on the interstate. There are a couple of tricky lane changes there in a short amount of time. Rachel would be a great look-out.

As for a place to stay, Rachel and I brought along a tent. We would camp there on the fairgrounds in the RV parking area. Angie and Richard's trailer has living quarters so we would pitch our tent right across from them. There were others from the barn who would be camping as well.

Ideally we would have left for Salem at the same time as Richard on Wednesday morning and caravaned down. That would have given us plenty of time to move the horses in, get them schooled and set-up our camp before dark.

However, life had another one of it's little fits. I had a mare that I have been trying to breed. The original plan was to breed her the week before the show on a short cycle. The mare didn't think much of that idea and didn't respond to the shot to bring her into heat (One of the reasons I hate all that interference!) so she had to have another shot the Friday before the show to try again to get her to cycle.

As Mother Nature would have it, the mare was ready to breed the day Rachel and I were leaving for Salem. Instead of heading down the road with Richard we were waiting on semen to make a 1 o'clock appointment with the vet.

The stallion station collecting the semen had called the night before to say they would met us in Tacoma with the shipment in the late morning since they had to inseminate a mare in Enumclaw. That was a great plan. It would save us nearly two hours. They would call when they were leaving and give us the location to meet.

But the late morning came and went before we finally got the call. Their plans had changed and we now had to come to their offices two hours away to pick the semen up. Instead of having semen by 11 as originally planned, it was 11 before we were even leaving to pick it up. Our departure from Salem was getting pushed again.

Poor husband, Dave, hopped in the car and headed off to the Key Peninsula playing courier for his goofy wife. He called as he got close to the stallion station to suggest I reschedule the mare's appointment. There was no way he was going to make it back in time to inseminate the mare at 1. It was looking more and more like I'd be driving through Portland in rush hour traffic.

Fortunately the vet had an appointment open at 3 and moved us into that slot. Dave arrived with semen just in time for me to throw poor Dare into the trailer and head to the vet.

When we checked the mare she had a 50mm follicle that was beginning to collapse. We couldn't have been better on timing. The mare would be ovulating soon. Although I think the poor mare was getting sick of all the ultra sounds. (I really feel for mare's in heat and all the intervention it takes to breed with shipped semen. They must really be confused!) The vet inseminated the mare and I walked her for a bit then loaded her onto the trailer and headed home.

At home I swapped out the mare for Legs and Dandy and we were headed back down the road within five minutes. This time we were finally headed for the horse show. It was nearly 4 pm and there was no way we were missing Portland at rush hour.

Stressed would be a gross understatement. I wasn't even out of my driveway yet and I was wondering what the heck I was thinking going to Salem to show when I could be showing right here in Washington. Let alone thinking I could show and breed in the same life time...........but Salem here we come.........

To be continued.............

Move In

The picture above is Scandalous Dare, the mare we breed to the AQHA reiner. Keep your fingers crossed that all the craziness resulted in a bred mare.

17 comments:

  1. BEAUTIFUL mare MiKael... Hope she settles and has a wonderful ,athletic foal for you!

    Looking forward to hearing more about the Salem show too. Man you have your hands FULL there!

    I'll hook my Carnival Submission up today...hehehehe Hope you get a kick out of it ;)

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  2. Good luck I hope the breeding is successful.Sounds like a little bit of Murphy's Law was at work the day you left for the show. I stress out when days get that hectic.

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  3. Drop Dead Gorgeous mare MiKael. Oh, I hope she takes, that is going to be one phenominal foal.
    Would you mind dropping by and telling me what you think on my bred mare's non-foaling condition? I just put up a new post.
    Your advice is much valued:)

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  4. mrs mom, thanks, I love this mare. She really has my heart, this one.

    It was such a mess. If I hadn't had so much time and money into it already, I swear I would have quit. Poor Dare all those palpations and ultrasounds. I really felt for her.

    I'll be looking forward to your carnival entry.

    molly, lol, ya, I'll bet. This should be a very special foal. I can hardly wait. I want to see it yesterday! lol

    grey horse, seems like every time I try to breed and show it gets this way. That's why I've missed several years showing. I was definitely stressed.

    browneyedcowgirls, thanks, she means a lot to me. I know she's going to be a great mother. Keeping fingers crossed.

    I left a comment on your blog. Sorry I don't have more definitive answers. Mother Nature's in control.

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  5. Yikes, it's bad enough driving in rush hour traffic in just a car, I can't even imagine doing it with your prized horses in a trailer. Can't wait to hear how the show went.

    I don't have a horse (or the funds) to show right now, so I'm living vicariously through you and Rachel. I'll be sad when your show season is over.

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  6. These are beautiful animals. A pleasure to just look at them.

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  7. Geez I know the feeling, am very frustrated right now so wont go into details or I will rant here for an hour.

    The semen is from Golden Gunslinger, is that what you said? I thought he was dead, did they keep semen from him? Oh well my mind is fried so I must be wrong.

    Looking forward to the next instalment. (((((Hugs)))))

    Lori

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  8. jackie, yes, I didn't just have my prized horses, I had one belonging to a friend as well. Not my favorite thing.....hauling horses anyway, And Portland, Oregon feels like an obstacle course to get through with all the brigdes and such. I'm always relieved when I've completed that part of the trip.

    lori, I don't even know who Golden Gunslinger is........let alone breed a mare to him. Dare was breed to The Mighty Oak.....a reining champion right here in Washington.

    He's a big gray horse, very pretty and very catty on his feet.

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  9. Sorry I dont know where Golden Gunslinger came from, I told you my mind is fried LOL. He was a quarter Horse, successful Halter Horse.

    Yu should be able to do ultrasound soon to see if she has taken, do you know or not?

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  10. Yep... it is tough fighting rush hour traffic pulling a trailer.

    Gorgeous looking mare. I hope she has an uneventful pregnancy!

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  11. I agree a beautiful mare! Hoping that everything took and she will have a athletic foal!
    Whew! Stress, like we horsy mom's need more of that!
    Looking forward to hearing more about Salem!

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  12. Good luck at the show. Hope the weather stays nice for you since you will be in a tent.

    I have yet to figure out what a Blog Carnival is...my homework for tonight:-)

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  13. Lori, I don't know where you came up with that stallion either but you have me curious, I'll have to look him up.

    As for Dare, the ultrasound is set for Friday. Keep your fingers crossed. I don't want to have to do that again. Besides with all this palpation stuff, Dare doesn't want to get into the trailer anymore. I doubt she will appreciate doing this another cycle. Can't say as I blame her.

    beth, you and me both. It would really be a relief to have a maiden pregnancy go smoothly....my last one was the twins. I still have not recuperated. lol

    kdwhorses, I'm really a died in the wool purebred breeder so this is a big stretch for me. This stallion is crossing very nicely on Arabian mares though and she comes from a long line of athletic beautiful horses. It really should work.........we'll see if Mother Nature agrees.

    photogchic, I think the easiest way to explain a blog carnival is a bunch of related bloggers get together and do posts either on a particular topic or in general. The host posts all the links and titles for each participating blog in one post on an assigned day.

    It's like a blog celebrations of sorts. Hopefully blog carnivals generate new traffic to all the blogs participating.

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  14. She is a beatiful girl!! Very stunning!! I am such a sucker for a blood bay!!

    And I too had a lot of trouble getting my mare bred these past two years. She finally took about two months ago!! It's very frustrating!! But a 50mm folicle that is awesome, right on the money. My vet bred one mare with a 35mm folicle and we crossed our fingers, and she took on the first take. But not my TB mare, that took about five different tries.

    Good luck at the show!! I love shows!! I can go and watch them forever!! I wish I had something ready to show right now. Good Luck!!

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  15. Aw, good old best laid plans! I know the traffic issues....so bad around here...can't imagine it driving horse trailer! I am excited about the breeding of the mare...she's so beautiful, I imagine this foal will be a stunner, too. Can't wait to hear how the show goes!

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  16. Just entered the Horse Carnival. (See link below).

    Thanks!

    Blessings,
    Linda
    The Mane Point

    DANDY DAY, at The Mane Point


    Tried to post this comment once, and it didn't take. Apologies, if the first one loads, and you have doubles. ;-)

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