The Hunchback of Goaterdam

Pardon the corney title. Honey (Whose name is totally wrong for her. It should be Bitchy) had her babies!

She had triplets but the first one out was very small and weak. And also the only girl. She is tiny and black like her father. The second and third out were bucks, a black and a light caramel, both larger and stronger.

The little doe just couldn't seem to suckle and both bucks were up and going gangbusters before her. She was so wimpy we were afraid to leave her out there so we milked colustrum from honey and brought the little one in.

Since Val is living at home for now (Val is 22), she assumed maternal duties.

The little caramel boy was hunched over and we worried he might have something wrong with him despite his enthusiasm for nursing and running around. We decided to name him Quasimodo (hunchback!). So it seemed fitting to name the other two Pheobus and Esmeralda after other characters in the Disney version of Hunchback.

We've ended up calling Esmeralda "Esme" for short (like the Twilight vampire mom). She is doing very well and just adorable. Already housetrained! Here are a couple of videos of her at 6 days old.

Casey wanted to play with her so much.

Stepping Pace

I haven't had a lot of time to work Tacoda lately. Here is a video showing him doing a stepping pace. Actually most of the time it's a full pace. It's not rough but it's not the gait I want or the best gait he is capable of.



Taping him has helped tremendously. I can see that when ridden he is often walking with that laternal pace, therefore he speeds up doing the stepping pace. I'm not super concerned about it at this point. We'll work on the walk, stop, turn, flex, side passing. Then we'll go back to easing out of the walk into something a running walk or rack. Do some work over poles since I don't have any hills around. At this point he's still working in the sidepull. Next month I will probably introduce the snaffle and get him working in that so we can do some half halts.

No flying bounds lately! He just hops a little when something gets him excited. Note the red truck turning in the road behind him. He decides that is cause to hop.