March came in like a lion but is turning quite lamb like as the month is progressing. Snow is melting in a hurry and mud holes & bogs are now forming in the pastures. This should make for some nice obstacles during calving season. Seems it is inevitable for cows to calve on creek banks so their little woobies can roll into the still freezing water. Just yesterday the neighbor had one roll under a log stopping him from his impending doom, and wouldn’t ya know it, mama was not too impressed with human interaction despite the help her little precious was receiving. It is in these times where you learn to appreciate the use of a good dog if you have one, or even a bad dog for that matter. As far as high headed mamma cows go when tagging or doctoring new calves a distraction is a distraction and she’s more apt to go after the more coyote-esque of her tormentors. Now when I was young and it was just dad and I checking cows I did not always bring my dog. It should have been a lesson I learned fairly quick but sometimes you just don’t have time or leave the barn in such a hurry with all supplies and said dog is out screwing around doing other dog things. I have many happy memories of being mauled, pinned to the ground or mashed between cow and 4 wheeler, being chased in circles practicing my near non-existent bull fighting skills and/or being nearly knocked off my mount by a horse charging new mom while dad was busy drenching a near frozen calf or injecting vitamins in a still slick baby bovine all the while yelling at me to “not weaken” which sometimes was easier said than done. Crawling underneath the pickup is always an option if it’s there and I’ve seen more than one grown man engage in this tactic. Yes, a distraction is a distraction and unfortunately for me I was the quicker of the two of us and I suppose the more dispensable as well. . 
In this maiden voyage of calving season without dad this year I fully intend to execute the dog plan. It has worked wonders for me in the past and I don’t think that being chased and or mauled while I’m out checking cows by myself is quite on the top of my adventure list this year. Zip, who rarely gets coerced out of the tractor while it’s running will be my back up so I hope Tuck is up to the challenge this year if she needs called upon because I don’t think Pony Scout will pose quite the threat to snuffy new mammas as she doesn’t look to be much of a menace and comes across as nothing more than a giant black prairie dog. In hindsight I guess we shouldn’t have bought those twenty high headed replacement cows two years ago, they honestly didn’t seem that bad in the ring but once those first babies started dropping their attitudes changed immensely… this should be fun.
Here is 
Up & coming in training I have "Cricket" - half horse, half pony and she is really coming along nice. I have just a handful of rides on her including two outside rides and nothing seems to phase this little wonder. The only incident so far was a small fit in the hay field because she did not want to leave the other horses, all the while Cliff laughing at me and my struggle with her, I'm sure I looked like one of those little kids you see at sale yards, legs a'workin as fast as they will go fighting with their ponies to go in the right direction, she got over it though! Broke her in to a lope and aside from the closeness to the ground could not even tell I was on a pony. She is such a smooth little ride and man, can she travel too! You'd never know half of her genetics lean more towards the stunted side, she has a gait like any normal sized horse and is pretty catty to boot! My plans to sell her in Feb. are becoming more and more hindered each time I get on her. I am aching to take her to the spring brandings, I'm certain she can show up any of those big leggy horses on dragging calves. We will see! Cliff assures me the novelty of a pony will wear off and that I will be too embarrassed to use her. I say nay, nay! Or rather, neigh, neigh.... :) She will be making her way down to our training barn for some winter workouts. Springtime will tell what this little mighty horse can do!
Then there's "Lasca", my little Dry Doc/Driftwood filly. She's gotten her turn under the saddle as well. Got her second and third real rides on and she did just beautiful. I have big plans for this filly, she is really starting to take off and grow. She is starting to move her feet and she has a real nice feel to her. She made a few little jumps but I am confident that if that is as hard as she ever bucks I can keep 'er covered! If not I will do my best to "not weaken" however she does not come across as one who's apt to swallow her head so I think I'm pretty safe. If I can ever get over selecting Badger as my top outside horse I believe she will be next in line, I don't think that will hurt his feelings any either, he seems very happy just being fat.
Little Blue's first passenger!
