This is the time of year they let me off the farm.
The foals are born, the mares rebred
and it is still way too chilly in my neck of the woods to venture out on Lake Michigan
It is now time to check on the progress of the foals that were born on our farm 2 and 3 years ago.
Our young horses are sent to a couple of different cutting horse trainers and put into training
with great hopes of being special.
Not all will have what it takes to become a “finished cutting horse” .
It takes a good mind,
great athletic ability,
and a sound body.
After many weeks and months a decision has to be made...
Should this horse continue to stay in “cutting training” or take another path?
The first test is as a 2 year old, they must be broke to ride,
have good manners
and then introduced to cattle.
They have to have what we call “cow”,
these horses are bred to “cut cattle” like a bird dog is bred to hunt.
They spend hours learning to move with a cow.
They are worked in a round pen getting to know how to “read” and “handle” a cow.
Our adventure started in Nashville
where we visited 2 of our hopefuls.
Our first visit was with Cashichi,
a 2 year old gelding that is BIG boy.
This guy is very handsome and strong ,
we nicknamed him “Budweiser” for the brute that he is.
It always amazes me that only 2 years ago this guy
was a little squirt running around our farm without a care in the world.
Now he has a full time job and needs to work hard everyday.
I don’t know if “Budweiser” will become a finished cutting horse
but he has been given the green light to continue for now.
Next we visited JK Sugar Rey, a 3 year old mare that has made to one of the final levels before
competing as a “cutting horse” she has always shown great promise
and was not a disappointment this time.
She is the type that gives you “butterflies” when you see her work.
She truly earns her name “Sugar” in every way.
She is one you hope for.
She is the one that lets you dare to dream
but so much can happen between now and when she will show for the first time at the
NCHAFuturity in December so...
you rein in your dreams and quietly hope for the best.
Not all our horses will become “superstars”
but I appreciate all of them for the “heart”
that they give us in their fast and furious jobs.
It is my pleasure and honor to raise and show these horses.
They make everyday an adventure which takes me right back to the farm.
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3 comments:
I love Budweiser! He is one big horse! The name is pretty cool too!
Sugar is nice too, sounds like she is going to be one heck of a cutting horse! Good luck with her!
Hi Kelley,
It was fun to read this post, as my husband and I are cow cutting fans. We don't go to cuttings very much now, but used to.
My husband used to work on a ranch where cutting competitions were held a couple of times a year.I love to see how athletic the horses are. We also live near Cutters of Idaho where a lot of training used to go on. I think it has now sold and the operation has been moved out of our state. It was fun to see two of your colts. Good luck with their progress.
Smiles,
June
What beautiful horses you have. How I would love to be able to just pet them let alone ride one!
You are one lucky lady!
Hugs,
Joanne
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