Fifth Chincoteague Pony Foal & Spring Round-Up

My apologies for missing a post yesterday - I was spending the evening/night with Tuppurr and didn't have access to my photo file.....
   This afternoon is this beginning of the annual Spring Round-Up on Assateague in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.  Riptide and his band are already in the corral, so only the Don Leonard Stud II and his mares need to be brought in.  Tomorrow, the Saltwater Cowboys will be rounding up all of the northern herds, which can be a drawn out process - lots of area to cover and lots of places for the ponies to hide.  Vet checks, worming, and vaccinations will take place tomorrow for all ponies.  And tomorrow, the 2018 buy back yearlings and the donated mares should be turned loose on Assateague, too.  It'll be a full day for the Cowboys, the veterinarians, and for photographers, too.  Today the weather forecast is gorgeous.  Tomorrow, the forecast says 60% chance of rain - but the Round-Up will occur no matter what the weather does.
   Yesterday morning, people visiting Riptide and his ladies were able to witness the birth of a foal.  Sonny's Legacy, a six-year-old chestnut pinto mare, sired by the Don Leonard Stud and out of the mare Shy Anne (aka Half  'n' Half), had her third foal.  The Dad is Surfer's Riptide, and he was watching, as were all of the mares.  The baby is a chestnut pinto colt, and has War Bonnet markings.  Soon after the birth, the mare and new foal were moved into a smaller paddock; later, both were trailered over to the Carnival Grounds, where they are being watched, as it seemed the foal was not nursing as much as is normal for a newborn.  Currently, all reports say both mom and baby are doing well.
   These photos were taken by Steve Cole of DSC Photography; they are copyrighted by DSC Photography.  If you wish to look at, or purchase, any of their photographs, please visit their website at:  http://www.dscphotography.net   

Bits and Pieces

I will have reports and photos from the Chincoteague pony Spring Round-Up shortly, and plan to post a lot of photos, thanks to many friends.  I will definitely credit the photographers, if they identify themselves!
   I'm finally starting to feel as if my spring sap is being to run.  Waking up with a good humor and looking forward to getting my jobs done.  Unfortunately, I also just looked at my calendar, and the only day I do not have anything scheduled to do is April 24th.  I guess that will be my day off this month.
  Horse racing -  Nyquist and Mohaymen raced each other for the first time in yesterday's Florida Derby.  Mohaymen met his first defeat, finishing fourth, with Nyquist the winner by 3 1/4 lengths. (Mohaymen had been the betting favorite.)  ...  Jockey Calvin Borel, three-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, has announced his retirement.  ....  The great race mare Zenyatta celebrated her 12th birthday on Friday.  She has a "foal watch party" going on, as she is due to deliver a new foal by War Emblem at any time.
  Today, one of the most iconic and world renowned businesses began.  The Pony Express was only in operation for 19 months, with the inaugural rider starting his journey on 3 April 1860.  The Pony Express was closed on 26 April 1861, two days after the completion of the transcontinental telegraph line.  The route ran between Saint Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California.  Using the regular mail, delivery time from one place to the other took 21 days.  The Pony Express guaranteed delivery in 10 days - and charged a whopping $2.50 per letter.  It's hard to imagine those days with no radio, no television, no transcontinental railways or telegraph.  (Just think how today's children would respond to a time without cars, telephones, computers, televisions, airplanes, and instant communication!)

A Horse-y Blog

Home again, for a few hours, before heading back to Boo's.  I'll grab Rosie this afternoon and we'll have a doggie day care afternoon while I read my book in the back yard....  And I hope to remember that Tuesday is Nedi's birthday; he and Lovey will get a nice dinner for a special day.
  The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company has announced that the Spring Round-up of ponies will be held April 11 and 12 on Assateague Island, as usual.  Pony Penning is held annually on the last Wednesday and Thursday in the month of July.  This year the Pony Swim from Assateague to Chincoteague will be held on 30 July, the Pony Auction will happen on 31 July, and the Swim Back to Assateague will occur on 1 August.
  It's only five weeks away from the Kentucky Derby... Time flies.  Most folks remember Barbaro, the gorgeous bay colt by Dynaformer, who won the 2006 Kentucky Derby, but who shattered a leg  in the 2006 Preakness, and was later euthanized.  Barbaro's full brother, Nicanor, became a father for the first time last week, when Kansas Kitty gave birth to a beautiful chestnut filly.  Nicanor stands at Shamrock Farm in Maryland for a fee of $2500.  Lentenor, Barbaro's 6 year-old full brother, began standing at the Indiana Stallion Station for a fee of $2000 in February of this year.  I'm looking forward to seeing their get on the track.
  There were three Derbies run yesterday - the United Arab Emirates, the Florida and the Louisiana - and two Oaks races - the Fair Grounds and Gulf Stream.  I wish I had been able to see all five races in person.
In the fillies races - the Oaks - both winners were superb.  In the Gulf Stream Oaks, In Tune out-dueled House Rules by a head, with Bobby Flay's home-bred America in third. At the Fair Grounds Oaks, Untapable was unstoppable under Rosie Napravnik, and will probably be the bettors top choice in the Kentucky Oaks.  Fiftyshadesofgold finished second, under Mike Smith, with Unbridled Forever in third and Mary Rita in fourth.  In the Louisiana Derby, Rosie Napravnik, again, rode the winner, a small dark bay/brown colt named Vicar's in Trouble.  Mike Smith rode the second-place finisher, Intense Holiday, with Commanding Curve running in third place.  In the Florida Derby, Constitution had a solid win over Wildcat Red.  Betting favorite Cairo Prince finished fourth behind General a Rod. And in the United Arab Emirates Derby, Toast of New York won handily over Asmar, with Emirate's Flyer in third and Giovanni Boldini in fourth.
  I guess I'll be starting out with a new case of Derby Fever soon....

Chincoteague Spring Round-Up; House-Sitting, and My Kits

It's partly sunny out,and about 20 degrees. The snow from Wednesday has compacted a bit, but hasn't disappeared in any way - other than from the scraped streets. This morning's weather report says Boulder will get 10 inches of snow, beginning tonight. I'll be at the house with Aiko and Yoshi, and as the house is now publicly listed "For Sale" I have to keep the house immaculate and be ready to whisk the boys away with me whenever a realtor makes a showing appointment. I can always take the boys over to Kathy and Jim's - and, I guess, if it's snowing hard, I can drive them over. The owners are trying to set up staying across the street, with a neighbor, but Nancy works night shift in an ICU, and I don't want to put her out in any way. My apartment complex is also undergoing an inspection by the City of Boulder on the 28th - and the management wants everything to be spic and span for that - which will make things very interesting, as I need to do some more tossing of recyclables at my place, but be available to clear the house of the munchkins for sale showings ...
  If you happen to be in the area of Chincoteague and Assateague Islands (Virginia) on the weekend of April 5, 6 and 7, you can be witness to the Annual Spring Round-Up of the Chincoteague ponies. The Ponies will be rounded up for vet checks. The southern herd will be rounded up on Friday and the Northern herd on Sunday. The Southern herd will be viewable by the public in the Southern Corral, just off the road that takes you to the beach. There will probably be a few new foals to look over, and, if Surfer Dude is still ranging on the south end of the island, the foals will be cute and/or pretty.
  I had to laugh this morning - I had the patio door cracked open, and Lovey and Nedi had been in and out quite a few times, when I heard Lovey make an odd noise. She was sitting on a perch in the cat tree, looking down towards the open door. She finally changed from a burble to a very short, hesitant hiss, and I asked if her brother, Nedi, was stalking her. She didn't pay any attention to me, so I walked around the corner from my desk, and saw that Bob, neighbor's cat, was sitting half-in and half-out, on the door sill. He was just calmly sitting there, staring up at Lovey. So I called Nedi, who came running from ChickenMan's patio; he ran in past Bob, who withdrew, and I closed the door. Lovey watched the door for several minutes before she relaxed.