Oct 3 - New horse

Doyle's new horse - LANCE - arrived at the Supreme on Friday night. Brian and Sarah had a bit of a rough trip up from southern BC though. Their truck broke down. But they were lucky enough to find a rental truck all ready equipped to pull the trailer.

Lance came fully outfitted (except for a saddle) with his bridle, halter, lead rope, FOUR winter blankets and a light cooler sheet. He also came with wormer, cubes, oats, treats and a water trough.

Lance is an 18 year old morgan gelding. He was shown as a youngster in western pleasure. He has been ridden in the mountains and is just a good all around boy. Just perfect for Doyle.

We will get some pics of him up as soon as we can.

Sept 30 - more thoughts on Gunner

Gunner looks like he is loving his job. Jason's only concerns are that Gunner still acts studdy - but more after he competes - and if they lope him too much then he "is dead in front of the cow. So he really has to watch him.

When Paige was here, Jason didn't think Gunner had a career more than as a 3 year old because he isn't "flashy/showy/fancy" in his movements - he is just a powerhouse. But he has changed his tune a bit. Gunner has really started to thin out - especially his neck which is a little short and thick. And that seems to be helping him. We just wish he would have grown a little bit more - taller and longer. LOL

But he really really likes him and is willing to try him out next year. Gunner will get the month of December off as Jason is heading to texas and then when Jason gets back he will start up again and show at a couple small winter series shows in Jan and Feb. That will give us the bigger picture for next year.

Oh...Jason also keeps saying that he is surprised that Gunner is doing so well considering he wasn't started until April and wasn't on cows until July or so - when he was with Dale. So that actually puts him about 6 months behind Jason's own 3 year old working cattle.

I am very pleased with how the run went. I know it could have been better...and I really wish he had gone further. But I can't fault him at all. He tried his hardest...worked better than he had before. And I have to keep reminding myself and others that he is still a baby and there are more shows on the horizon.

Sept 29 - Judges cards

I went and wrote down the two judging cards

Judge 1 - score 60

Deductions:
1 point:
A - miss - loss of working advantage x 2
5 point
B - lost cow
A - Quit cow

Run Content:
Herd work - check mark and 2 "-"
Control - 3 "-"
Difficulty - check mark and 2"-"
Eye appeal - + and 2 "-"
Time - "-"
Courage "-"
Loose reins "-"


Judge 2 - score 60
Deductions:
1 point:
a - 1/2 miss - loss of working advantage x 2
5 point:
A - quit on cow
B - lose cow

Run Content:
Herd - check and +
Control - "-"
Difficulty - "-" and +
Eye appeal - check
time - check
courage - check
loose reins – check


the "check" means he was showed average
the "+" means he was better than average
the "-" means he was below average

Sept 29 - 1st go of the Open Futurity

Well gunner showed this morning. he was 2nd horse in the 5th herd.

He did really well - but didn't mark great. He is behind the cow at the turn and that is a 2 point deduction each time the judges want to penalize for it. He scored a 120. Any scores of 120 and lower do not advance to the 2nd go.

So we are done for this event. It really sucks.

Jason was very happy with his performance though. Said he worked hard...stopped hard...was really low...powerful. Just need to speed up his reaction time when the cow gets to going the other direction.

Well, I am pleasantly surprised at how well my pics turned out. they are still a little "motion fuzzy" but I will work on that.

Sept 27 - Open Futurity Draw Order

Here is the first go round draw order for the Open Futurity:

Draw Horse Rider Owner

1 CHEXBOONSMAL Rod Thiessen Frehlick Quarter Horses
2 A HOCUS POCUS JEWEL Jeff Schwitzer Jeff Schwitzer
3 CD SLICKER Cody Smith Scott Wardley
4 STEADY PAPANITA Clint Christianson Willow Spring Ranch
5 SHORTYS GABBY CAT Denton Moffat Janice Eaton
6 CANT YOU NOTICE ME Loren Christianson Horst Gartner
7 CHIC MY BOON Les Timmons Dwight & Kathi Fisher
8 SDP PLAYFUL LENA Amanda Jones Theresa & Tim Dykes
9 TRAVS TAZ Clint Christianson Willow Spring Ranch
10 PLAYERS ACES HIGH Dale Clearwater Lou Walkden
11 SMARTYS REAL PEPPY Gerry Hansma Jim & Teri Paradis
CATTLE CHANGE

12 MADE YOU LOOK Clint Christianson Pat & Barb Hanke
13 CR CAT CRUISER Denton Moffat Victor & Linda Dickson
14 HIGHWAY DUALLY Scott Hanson Connie Down-Cicoria
15 BOONS LITTLE JEWEL Guy Heintz Douglas Lynn
16 IN THE NIC OF TIME Brad Pedersen Brad & Heather Pedersen
17 CAUGHT ME A LENA Brad Pedersen Jesse Crandall
18 MISTY BLUE BOON Loren Christianson Bob Butz
19 SMART DOC A FRECKLES Kevin Baumann Pekisko Ranch Ltd.
20 GOT A SMART DATE Doug Reinhardt Wayne Peterson
21 ZACKS A PLAYER Cain Quam Cain Quam
22 SUMMERTIME PEPTO Gerry Hansma Gary Tresidder & Lynn Dutton
CATTLE CHANGE
23 IMA CD PLAYBOY Jason Hanson Verna Badry
24 ZACK A HOLIC Mike Santangelo Mike Santangelo
25 ZACKS A PLAYBOY Cain Quam Grant Devine
26 DREAMY PLAYCAT Denton Moffat Janie Bass
27 BSF CHEYENNE CHIC Les Timmons Janet Hotte
28 DFL SONITA OLENA Geoff Hoar Geoff Hoar
29 PEPSI ROYAL PLAY Cain Quam Don Biette
30 SHES OUTOF MY LEAGUE Loren Christianson Lionel & Gail Hertlein
31 SMART LEO LARK Clint Christianson Jeff Sears & Ron Jackson
32 PLAYBOYS DUALS Clint Christianson Clint & Susan Christianson
33 A BIRTHDAY TWIST Cody McArthur Greg Gartner
CATTLE CHANGE
34 TIVIOS DUALLY Jason Hanson Jason Hanson
35 KITS DIXIE CHICK Doug Reinhardt Doug & Shauna Reinhardt
36 BLUE MY DUALS Dale Dodd Dale Dodd
37 SHESA SMART HICKORY Jeff Schwitzer Ken Gardiner
38 MAIDEN DIXIE Doug Reinhardt Wayne Gorko
39 WEAVERS PEPTOHEAVEN Clint Christianson Danny Smoole
40 PLAYING LIKE A TIGER Cathy Anderson Donna Reimer
41 TWI LOOKIN AT ME Gerry Hansma Heather Hudson
42 BSF CARLITA BOON Cody McArthur Mark & Jan Daley
43 JAEBARS EASTER Dustin Gonnet Jim Munro
44 YELLERS LIL PEPTO Gerry Hansma Ken & Karen Mix
CATTLE CHANGE
45 DO LOOK ALITTLE Gerry Hansma Mark & Jan Daley
46 YOUNG N HIGH Jason Hanson Carrie Thompson
47 FRECKLES TWISTED CAT Dustin Gonnet Wayne & Linda Meakin
48 TATER TAZ Clint Christianson Clint & Susan Christianson
49 A LITTLE LIGHT Dave Batty David & Lisa Anderson
50 SONITA SANDINE Cody McArthur John Limming
51 A DEMI DATE Doug Reinhardt Willow Spring Ranch
52 RS LENAS NO CASH Gary Cooper Gary Cooper
53 OUT OF MY LEAGUE Dale Dodd Dale Dodd
54 MY OWN BADGER Loren Christianson Harvey Giese
55 DUAL REYACINTH Cody McArthur Rod MacDonald
CATTLE CHANGE
56 CHECKING DUALLYS Gerry Hansma Jim & Teri Paradis
57 SMART PEPPY BALSAM John Swales Equistar Enterprises
58 WAR SMART DUALLY Clint Christianson Greg & Renee Grills
59 PISTOLS SONITA GAL Bill Speight Bill & Elaine Speight
60 SWINGIN TULE John Swales Tammy Meadows
61 UTAH BLAINE Dustin Gonnet Scott McRae
62 TIME TO BE THIRSTY Cody Smith Tim Bushko & Laurel Wood
63 SMART DIXIE KIT Doug Reinhardt Ken Christensen
64 MISS KITARI Guy Heintz Guy Heintz
65 CLEVER LITTLE SABRE Clint Christianson Dennis & Brenda Robbins
66 KITTEN K BOON Randy Christensen Daland Prediger

As you can see Jason is riding 3 horses in the event (#23, #34 and #46
- Gunner). He told me he is very happy that all three horses are in
their own "herd" and are riding either first or second in all three.

I am very happy to see that there are only 65 other horses that Gunner
has to compete against. LOL Man...now I am nervous. It is REAL now
that his name is actually on the website.

OH MAN...MY STOMACH IS IN KNOTS NOW!!!

Sept 27 - Canadian Supreme Cutting Schedule

Here is the schedule for the cutting competitions at the Supreme.

Cutting & Cow Horse - Schedule
Date Time Class (Draws)

Sunday, September 28/08 1:00 PM
Fresh Cattle Practise Works
Used Cattle Practise Works (when uesd are available)

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Monday, September 29/08 8:00 AM
Open Cutting & CS Open Cutting Futurity - 1st Go
Non Pro Derby & CS Non Pro Cutting Maturity - 1st Go

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Tuesday, September 30/08 8:00 AM
Open Classic Challenge - 1st Go
Open Cutting & CS Open Cutting Futurity - 2nd Go

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Wednesday, October 1/08 8:00 AM
Open Derby & CS Open Cutting Maturity - 1st Go
Non Pro Classic Challenge - 1st Go
Open Hackamore & CS Open Hackamore - Herd

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Thursday, October 2/08 8:00 AM
Open Derby & CS Open Cutting Maturity - 2nd Go
CS Open, Open & Limited Open Snaffle Bit - Herd
Non Pro & CS Non Pro Snaffle Bit - Herd
Open Hackamore & CS Open Hackamore - Rein & Fence
Non Bridle - Rein & Fence

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Friday, October 3/08 8:00 AM
Non Pro & CS Non Pro Cutting Futurity - Go Round
Open Classic Challenge - 2nd Go
Non Pro Derby & CS Non Pro Cutting Maturity - 2nd Go
Non Pro & CS Non Pro Snaffle Bit/Hackamore - Herd
Open Bridle - Rein & Fence - 1st Go
CS Non Pro & Non Pro Snaffle Bit - Rein

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Friday, October 3/08 6:00 PM Western Horse Sale

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Saturday, October 4/08 8:00 AM
CS Open, Open & Limited Open Snaffle Bit - Rein
Open Derby - Finals
Non Pro Classic Challenge - 2nd Go
Open Cutting - 3 Year Olds - Finals
Non Pro Derby - Finals

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Saturday, October 4/08 7:00 PM
Opening Ceremonies
Open Reining - Presentation
Open Classic Challenge - Finals
Open Bridle - Rein & Fence - Finals

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Sunday, October 5/08 8:00 AM
CS Non Pro Cutting Maturity - Finals
CS Open Cutting Futurity - Finals
Non Pro Classic Challenge - Finals
CS Open Cutting Maturity - Finals
CS Non Pro & Non Pro Futurity - Finals
Never Won A Buckle Class Finals - Invitational
Non Pro & CS NP Snaffle Bit/Hackamore - Rein & Fence
CS Open, Open & Limited Open Snaffle Bit - Fence
CS Non Pro & Non Pro Snaffle Bit - Fence


Right now I am booked into a hotel for Sunday and Monday night so I
can watch the two go rounds...and then I will be going back on Friday
afternoon so I can see the sale...and the for the finals on Saturday.
Will stick around to watch the saturday night main event stuff -
always fun and exciting. And head home around noon on Sunday.

Well, we may be on the way to finding out all my body issues finally. Here is what all my test results showed.

1. gallstones - was told to watch my diet - no more gravies - fried foods
2. endometrial polyp - another ultrasound required at beginning of cycle
3. reflux from bladder to right kidney - appointment with urologist being made - not sure what they can do to fix if this is the case - would be the cause of the bladder infections and my sick feeling as my body would not be cleaning out the poisons (toxins) properly
4. thyroid - right side is 2 x the normal size - have nodules on it - one on the back side is 14 mm so 3/4 inch - that could be causing my sore throat and the feeling of having something stuck in my throat - ultrasound required in Feb to see about any changes.
5. High blood pressure - have meds to start when I get home

So lots to take in but nothing really life threatening. I have my blood pressure meds but not going to start them until after I get home from Red Deer as it says to not drive the first couple days.

Sept 26 - Puppies are mobile

The pups are now just over 3 weeks old. They are getting teeth...are more secure on their feet...barking and growling at each other...and trying to follow Maggie out of the doghouse but haven't figured out how to get over the little board we are using as a gate.

I sold another one tonight with the possible sale of two others.

Sept 16 - Gunner gains ground at the right time

In talking to Jason last night and during my visit with him today, he said that Gunner is blowing him away right now. Gunner is going great guns right now. Jason said something just seemed to click about 2 weeks ago and the harder he asks Gunner to work the better he does. No more arguing...just a "let's go" attitude. Always happy and wanting to work harder and faster. And it is ALL on a loose rein.

Said he has never worked this hard...or enjoyed being asked for more and more. He normally can get a little sulky but Jason said the harder he is asked to work right now the better he has been.

So YIPPEE - what a great time for that to happen.

here are a series of working pictures from my visit.











Gunner shows in Red Deer at the Canadian Supreme next week. The first go is scheduled for Monday, the 2nd go is Tuesday and the finals are on Saturday. I am going down on Sunday night and will be home on Tuesday...and then going down again on Friday for the weekend.

I have also entered Gunner into the Calgary Wrangler Futurity.

Sept 16 - Job update

Well, like all good things do - my job is coming to a close next Thursday (the 25th). And the prospective job at Shell did not materialize like they have been
telling us for the last 6 months. Apparently the build at Shell is 5 months behind so the soonest I could get out there is Feb. That doesn't work too well for me.

They did ask if I would consider going up north to Fort McMurray - but I just can't leave for any long periods of time with the horses and kids. And living in a camp would drive me NUTS.

I have applied at 3 companies since Sunday and have 2 interviews lined up. One is tomorrow and the other is on Thursday. The one tomorrow is just basic reception from what I gathered on the phone. The other is for another industrial construction company doing the same work as I am now. So that is great.