show report (NSR)

Muppet and I attended our first dressage show hosted by NEDA with my friend Alex and her horse Mikey.

We did the Intro test A and B which are basically the first tests and are all walk and trot. It was a fun show and we cleaned up well for it. Here we are warming up to go in the ring (it was very dusty).

Unfortunately Muppet was scared by the judges in the horse trailer at one end of the ring, and took until the end of the second test to calm down . We did improve in marks in our tests coming 6th and then 5th respectfully. I was proud of my horse and look forward to going to another show soon.

In sheep and lamb news the vet and myself are leaning towards chronic heat stress in the lambs. Temps are out of normal range when the weather is hot and hasn't cooled off overnight. Temps go down to normal on the cool mornings. Still no other signs and blood work was all clean. I am hoping for cooler weather soon as it has been a terribly hot, humid and rainless summer. Anyone else ready for Fall?

A picture free update

Sorry for the lack of pictures but I thought people would like an update. The group of lambs still has a fever, and no other symptoms. The vet came out yesterday and drew blood from several of them for testing. We also changed antibiotics as no noticeable change has been perceived from what they were on. Hope to see some temperature drop Friday. Unfortunately (isn't it always the case) the weather has been very hot and humid these past few days with little relief at night. The fans are going and plenty of shade and cold water is available. The vet said that if we weren't taking their temperatures we would never even know they were sick. I'm trying to hold onto this as a good thing and hope that all of their temperatures will drop into the normal range soon.

Thank you everyone for your support. It has been a very difficult week that would have been much harder without your kind words and ideas.

A very depressing day (unfortunately sheep related)

No pictures today. My heart isn't in it.

Last night when I went to bring in the sheep Winston one of this years rams lambs was ill. He was lethargic, had difficulty breathing, was dragging his hind feet and couldn't bah. He would occasionally cough. I separated him and took his temperature (a whopping 108 degrees). Respirations were painful to listen too. Unfortunately I got the emergency vet who was very reluctant to come out, kept telling me that if I really wanted him to live I should take him to the hospital (nearest one is over an hour away) I said I wanted her opinion. Meanwhile he peed a few times and just lay down. He looked bloated.

Vet arrived within 30 minutes at 7.30pm. Didn't believe his temperature and retook it. Informed me "I've never seen that temperature conducive to life". Upon my request (I said he looked bloated) she tubed him and got 50cc of air out. He stood up. She gave him banamine and an antibiotic. She basically also informed me that she had her children in the car because I had made it sound so urgent on the phone, but that he looked "quite perky" to her. She left me with banamine and more antibiotic and told me to just put him back in with the other lambs "because if they're going to get it that would have it already".

At 9pm I checked on him. He was acting strange. Getting up and walking a few feet before collapsing. I put him on my lap. At 9.15pm he started having seizures. At 9.30pm he was dead. He had seemed fine that morning.

I called my regular vet today and informed her he had died. To make it worse 2 other lambs have temperatures. One is 104.6 and one is 104.3. Both are eating, chewing cud and running around. No-one seems to know what is causing the fevers. I am open to ideas. Let's hope everyone else can pull through.

May Winston rest peacefully in grass filled fields.

Sheep Sunday

I spent a very productive morning cleaning out the chickens and then putting up some fencing for the lamb (and Jaqui) group. We have had such warm weather here that the grass is not happy. Luckily for us the past week has seen a few thunderstorms, and the rain has made for some better grass outside of the paddocks anyway.

Popular consensus is that grass is delicious.

Griffin and Isabella are doing great in their halter training and are very friendly now.

Sorry for not posting for a while. Life is busy. Hopefully it won't be so long between future posts. I hope everyone is having a great summer.

Another addition

Yesterday I drove a 650 mile round trip to pick up Twin Springs Dakotas Isabella, or just Isabella for short. It was a long, hot, and humid drive and I am glad it was the last long trip of the year for me.

She travelled very well, and is settling in with the lamb flock.

Griffin is also coming along very well. His halter lessons are going well and he comes over (respectfully) for attention now which is great.

Jaqui is a year old now, and is doing a wonderful job baby sitting the lambs. I need to work on some halter sessions with her as well before the fair in August.

Anyway that's all for now. I am still tired :) I hope everyone is staying cool we are in the 80's and 90's with around 70-80 percent humidity. Hope we get some rain soon.

Griffin update

Well Griffin is settling in very well.

He has just started going out with the moms and baby group. He dwarfs the other lambs and is a very big boy. The other lambs seem to like him a lot, following him around, and their moms were very curious smelling him too.

He is very curious of me. Doesn't run away but doesn't get too close either. I have managed to rub his head a few times. I am hoping to start halter training him now that the weather has cooled off for a few days in the hopes of showing him this summer. That should be some fun pictures!

In non-sheep related news Marcus is almost 5 months old :)

One week to go until there's another new addition at Ridgeway Farm. Now I need to go and cut down things growing up my fences.

A new addition

Today I drove over 500 miles to pick up my new ram. He actually had a much longer journey but a couple of people transported him a few places for me (thanks Tiff, and Sally). Unfortunately now I am too tired to get a picture of him here, but here are his baby pictures.

Introducing Windswept Griffin II

I think he's super handsome and the pictures don't actually do him justice.

Right now he's tucking into some hay and just chilling. Hopefully tomorrow I can put him in a paddock by himself and get some good pictures. Oh and just to tease, this is not the only trip I have to make this year. I have another equally long trip next week :)