Syndication

We are about to start our first racing syndicate. The syndicate will include (racing only as ownership will be leased to the syndicate) both Bossy Looker (Bella) a 3yo filly by Now Another Look out of Bossy Octopus (Game Pride) and Carlisha a 5 yo mare by Mystical Shark out of our now defunct broodmare Laura Jayne (Nero's BB). The trotter will go to Bevan Heron and the pacer to Graeme Lamb. We have a number of interested parties but will advertise in the coming Harness Weekly as well. Both are ready to go into training and as soon as the syndicate paperwork is in place, they will be transfered to the stables.

We are to hold two of the ten shares between us (Vee and I) with me as the nominated manager. We believe we can race both of these for a cost of $50 per week for each 10% share. Let us know if you are interested - vancoach@xtra.co.nz.

No more greenhouse envy

Here is the famous greenhouse.

We went to the Small Farm Field Day last Sunday and after buying a coffee first thing, Vee went back to the truck and by the time she returned I had done a deal on the greenhouse. Darren and Nikki from Kirwee. Good product, great people.

Lambies

Here are some photos of our orphaned lambs, now ongoing members of the FEH Family. Beavis, Butthead and Roger RAMjet. Top photo is sister Karen and neice Jess feeding them a few weeks ago.


Our plan is that we have them to clean up the paddocks after the horses have eaten their fill. It is expected that Roger (also known as CD) will be part of our 2009 Christmas Dinner too. Ex-vegetarian KJ really has moved on :).

Further flood Fotos :) and latest Fernside Frolics

To add to the Cust Creek photos below, we went down Lineside Road today (3 days after height of flood) to view the paddocks down there. Lineside Road is the main road from the northern motorway through to Rangiora. Here are a few pictures of the "Lineside Lakes".

We brought Carlisha (6yo Mystical Shark out of the now defunct Laura Jayne) home from Bevan Heron's last Saturday. For a late start mare, Bevan has done a good job breaking her in. She has a cough so we've kept her apart from the others but as Bella goes just where she wants, she joins her every now and then. At this point the idea is to syndicate Bella (Bossy Looker officially, 3yo trotter) and Carlisha as a package and give them both a go this season. Bella will go to Bevan and Carlisha to Grame Lamb. Looks like Julius Caesar fillies will have to go to sales as we need to lessen stock and get some income from the breeding.

A Wonderful Fernside Winter

As many who have either experienced NZ weather during the last week of July 2008 or have seen or heard of it on the news, here's a couple of pictures of the local "Terrain" taken this past week. Usually the Cust Creek is just a creek (and I often drive through it on my way to work) or, in Summer, when the dodgy new dairy farms are irrigating, it has little to no water in it at all. These two are photos of it taken yesterday, actually 2 days after the height of the floods. We have called it "Mini Mac" (apologies to niece in Wellington) as it looks like a mini version of the Waimakariri when a Nor-West has brought rain and/or melt to the mountain catchment area.

Foot not Knee

It seems I (finally) made the right choice by getting Olive into the loosebox. Yesterday she wouldn't let me touch her knee but today, after standing still for 16 hours, the swelling in the knee has gone down appreciably. Vet Andrew (great guy) from Rangiora Vets came and Olive had a bad abscess in her hoof and had damaged the knee by walking oddly on her heel to relieve any pressure on the toe of the hoof, where thew abscess is. It has been cleaned and drained. Now we have to soak her regularly in warm water and epsom-salts. Learning, learning every step for us.

Starting the weaning process?

We have our first foal of the current crop in the loose box with her Mum - Wee "Cleo" (also known as Cap) and Olive. Olive has a big knee which she has been favouring notably and the vet is coming to check her out tomorrow morning. As Cleo is the youngest of the foals, we probably won't actually wean her at this point but over the next two months we will start with the eldest and work through the three of them. They are now all progressing well and we aim to send Olive back to Julius Caesar this coming season. We are wondering about Honey (Now Another Look out of Whizzy) and whether we can enter her at Riccarton in a hurdles race. When we separated her from Cleo today (they seem to have mated up well) she just jumped the bloody gate as if it was a natural thing to do (proper Hurricane style farm gate). The fun goes on.

We spent a lot of the middle part of the day today with our three young nephews who were riding Eddie after staying the night. I spent about 1 1/2 hours working with Sooty after my first official riding lesson Friday a week ago. All I can say is that Sooty, despite his foibles is easier to manage than two 11 year olds and and a seven year old - Neph - Phews!! :) 55 must be too old to be a parent of youngans I think.