Big Changes...Even bigger changes Updated

[Debbie]

Blossom is completly safe <3

A few months ago Eldon and I went to visit Anna Bea with her trainer Kimberly Dunn. It was illuminating. We were reminded how much we love Dales Ponies vs horses (even if they are amazing horses)

We did visit with Piper's 2018 filly foal, LeeLoo. She's real sweetie but I had Dundee and Reigny and I wanted the best of life for them, but no clue 'how'. Kimberly offered a trade, which has been a huge win-win-win....

Soo today after safely and happily weaning, Kimberly and Naquel have delivered LeeLoo <3

...okay I need to get the photos loaded and LeeLoo and Bloss aren't the only ones ready to fall flat on their faces...

At least the jinx period (*knock on wood) is over...

[harveydales]

Wow, Debbie, how exciting! I can't wait to see some photos and how wonderful you have found the perfect solution for Dundee and Reigny. Looking forward to hearing what Blossom makes of her new, young protogee. I wish you many years of joy with your new pony and hope you enjoy her as much as I am Eve.

[Debbie]

Hahaha... well at the moment Blossom's sure LeeLoo's an alien baby/she's going to be replaced. Actually all of that should be in shrieking caps. Blossom was deeply afraid the moment she spotted LeeLoo. She was the most bunched up I've ever seen. We'll have to take this all very slowly with introductions over the stall and paddocks for awhile. I'd already reckoned we would, so I've spent months constructing a new paddock just for the purpose.

I'll see if my computer will co operate so I can get the photos up. Little one's a grey. Rosebarr Gambler x WhisperingWillows Piper.

Blossom's opinion of the new arrival:



LeeLoo's 5 months

[Fi]

She’s gorgeous, I was very excited to see your FB pictures! Didn’t realise she’s a grey, I just adore that beautiful dapple phase they go through, can’t wait to see her growing up!

Glad you got a good outcome for Dundee and Reigny. Am sure Blossom will come round soon enough, slow gentle introductions are a very good idea!

[mickey]

Congratulations! Sure blossom will eventually accept her. I hadn't realised rosebsrr gambler had been sold abroad, saw him for sale a while ago and liked him

[Debbie]

Yes, Rosebarr Gambler was imported to the US I want to say 2003? I got to meet his firstever foal in the UK with Mabel (Kim Evans) and then he stood at Whispering Willows stud in Indiana for a very long time. He's had a couple homes since the Rusts retired, but he's currently standing at stud in Kansas City, MO.

Yesterday I handed Santa his reading glasses as we reloaded LeeLoo on his sleigh. He clearly delivered her to the wrong family, so we're hoping he'll check his lists again and get her into the home she's truly wanting.

LeeLoo's an absolute sweetie, but none of us could make a connection. She finally blurted out to me the one morning that she wanted many Dales ponies (and indicated 3-5) and wanted to become a mommy like her mommy. Given her life's goals of wanting especially many Dales ponies, I felt it was in everyone's best interests to send her home to her breeder and to get her resold. She's got really good conformation and a sweet temperment. When she's old enough, she's got heterozygous grey gene with a bay gene underneath, so she'll be able to throw many different colours she'll make someone a fantastic foundational mare.

As for Blossom, she never did come to grips with LeeLoo. At best she was convinced LeeLoo was some weird 'dog' that had somehow managed to learn to speak pony. She never was a fan, and this morning, I found the Princess is thoroughly happy to have everything be HERS ALL HERS AGAIN!!!

[harveydales]

Aww Debbie, this makes me sad and happy at the same time. But I can imagine exactly how relieved and happy Blossom is feeling now! Also I think you would have found it very hard to split yourself between Blossom and LeeLoo. I know I would never have been doing all the stuff I am doing with Eve if Harvey were still here. Harvey was to me what Blossom is to you and I could never have let him think he wasn't my number one and that wouldn't have been fair on Eve. I'm sure LeeLoo will find her perfect home very soon.

Having said this, Eve is absolutely vile at the moment. She is 5 and trying to push her boundries. I could happily send her away right now. Where has my sweet, angelic pony gone?

[Debbie]

It's exactly the same as you and Harvey and although I reckoned Bloss would come to some accord as we went along, she went from furious to quietly seething. She can hold a grudge and does form fast opinions of other ponies. She was super excited when Bing the Fell pony whooshed in to help us get LeeLoo onboard the trailer. She probably would have enjoyed Bing's company, but never could come to grips with LeeLoo.

Ahhhh the 'thug' phase, I remember it well! I actually had to bring out Mr Lungewhip for Blossom's Thug Phase, mostly to reinforce my personal bubble of space is mine, and get your tushie out of it. It wasn't anything dramatic, just a matter of quietly reinforcing my bubble, and ensuring she didn't get away with anything. I can remember having to dump her evening bucket to the deer once. She was being beyond vile and pushy and was refusing to listen, even though I went through the gate and did resets like 3 times. In the end she had to make do with hay for the night as I walked over to the compost heap and dumped her precious bucket. In the morning she did much better for her breakfast bucket, but it did take months of quiet reinforcement to get her over that stage. It's the typical teen stage, as you say they are trying to status climb in the herd. The important thing is, keep at it and your lovely sweet Eve will return

[harveydales]

Debbie - thanks for the reassurance over Eve. I haven't had a youngster for that many years I've forgotten what it's like. This is where I wish the old DFs was still active because this is not the sort of thing I want to post on FB. In this case it turned out she was being narky because she had a sore wither and did not want to be rugged. She was telling me the only way she could and the difference after some physio was amazing. But she is a pony with attitude.........

[Debbie]

I know exactly what you mean!!! I've given this Facebook a 'college try' and found it seriously lacking. You can't hold a debate, people block one another, or delete important posts so the end result is you might see an arguement or serious disagreement over differing opinions, but if someone's deleted some of the posts, you could be missing very important information. At least on here, aside from extremely dire circumstances and with trumpeting announcements, moderators left people's posts completely alone. I feel it's important to be able to go back and delete and edit our posts as sometimes languaging fails and things don't convey well, or perhaps we're tired or in a bad mood, but at least on DFs, WE control our posts. They don't get snuffed from the full conversation, and that's a huge problem in the world.

But I will say, yes, it's important to know all of them... even the super duper sweeties... will go through a vile stage at some point and you can turf them out with oldies, or like I did with Bloss, not really get into anything dramatic, but quietly reinforce the boundaries like you have to do with any status climbing 'teenager' and eventually they pop out on the other side, super sweet and best partners for life

Maybe this upcoming year, we can make an effort to bring Dalesfans back? I get that people like the ease of Facebook, but honestly, with just a few tweaks, and FB has the weirdest thing happening right now, so it's possible even more people will get fed up with being blocked and not seeing the whole pic and will come back to an open forum again

[harveydales]

Thanks Debbie, that is really reassuring. I agree with all you say about FB and yes, lets try and post more on here and see if we can draw some people back.

Re Eve, I've been told she was always bold and naughty as a baby whereas her full brother was the opposite and I know she has a "side" to her. SHe is also turning into a very big, strong horse and still growing! So I am trying to treat her the way you did with Blossom at that awkward stage and hope she comes through it quickly! She is the complete opposite of Harvey.....

[Debbie]

I think every Dales mare is opinionated. They have opinions about everything and they are super keen to voice them. I'm glad you figured out why Eve was being so narky over her blanket the other night and was able to resolve the sore wither issue for her. I adore Blossom, she's got opinions and can be stubborn, but so am I, so we're well suited

[tinkeralison]

Dales mares are the Best, but you do need to get them on side 😁 I'm having the opposite with Alfie, he's such a drama queen!

[Debbie]

I've talked with so many people who've told me the same thing. "You know, my mare, she's very opinionated." ...crickets chirp... yeah? ... but then they launch into "BUT you should have seen what my boy did?! and then they launch into a diatribe that makes their girlies look like saints.

Bottomline...Kudos to any owner that pays attention to what their Dales pony is expressing. I know how 'trite' that sounds, but bottomline, all of them are super smart ponies who have their own survival at heart. They are in tune with their environments and families. They want to keep themselves and their people safe. I have to say, that actually is one of THE most endearing factors of owning a Dales Pony, because for the last few decades, we've been lulled a bit and people live in their heads and not the real world. A pony (not always of course) does live in the real world. Just because your normal trail has always been safe, your Dales might be letting you know, weather conditions have changed or there are unleashed and very dangerous dogs loose, or the ground is waaaaaay boggier than the weather forecast people told you. Bottomline, listen to your pony. They love you, and sometimes they aren't just being stubborn to be stubborn (and it's up to you to find if they are) sometimes they are saying 'hey, yeah, I know, but there's this thing too'.

[harveydales]

Alison - I've had geldings for the last 20+ years so had forgotten what fun a mare is but, as you say, you do need to get them on your side Before Harvey and Quest I always had mares.

Debbie - you are so right in what you say. I have spent a wonderful year learning this with Eve. So much is new to me and I can honestly say I've enjoyed the year of groundwork even more than riding. I do still find it hard to distinguish between when Eve is being narky because she has a physical problem or whether she is bored and wants to get on with something new or whether it is her "teenage pushing boundries thing". She is very expressive and always lets you know how she feels whereas Harvey was very stoical. She is also a very "busy" pony and \i'm a busy person so it has taken a while for us both to learn to just "be" and chill together.