Monthly Archives: April 2010

April 12, 2010 · 7:49 am

Sweet Hija to the Brazos

North Erath County, Texas, 32.43 lat., -98.36 long. Elev. 1,086 ft. Turkey Creek Quad.

Two days ago, we took Sweet Hija to Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery on the Brazos (ESMS on Brazos) for artificial insemination to Shiners Lena Doc out of Carol Rose’s stables.

As an added feature to taking Hija to ESMS, I saw Peptoboonsmal, one of the leading quarter horses of recent years. He is standing (residing for breeding purposes) at ESMS on Brazos.

Peptoboonsmal by Cutting Horse Chatter, April 2010, Jackson Land & Cattle Co.

I knew that Peptoboonsmal was at ESMS and when I met the reproduction manager, Kellee Clarke, I said that I remembered a red roan up at Carol Rose’s several years ago. Did she have him? I did not even call his name, it was just the pink guy. Yes, Kellee said, Would you like to see him? Of course. This guy is becoming one of the famous sires of quarter horses of all time, coming up on Peppy San Badger, Hija’s grandsire at King Ranch.

So, Kellee, Brenda and I went back into the stallion barn to see the old boy (born 1992). I missed him at first as we walked by and had to turn around. Kellee opened the door to this fabulous stallion and said, He likes this. She entered ‘Boonsmal’s stall and he stuck out his tongue to have it scratched and massaged! Kellee said, he is a really sweet old boy. I can see that, I replied.

I stood and watched. Large old guy, but gentle and handsome. All matings with Peptoboonsmal are on site. There’s no artificial insemination from him. He’s a valuable sire and his owner, Jackson Land & Cattle Company, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is going to limit his exposure. They have quite a horse.

Left off Sweet Hija. Dr. Semira Mancill called later in the day, stating that Hija had recently come out of ovulation cycle, so they would keep her for a few days, give her an injection to start her ovulation again and then breed her. She will be bred to Shiners Lena Doc from Carol Rose’s stables. My other two offspring from Hija are also from Shiners Lena Doc: Fanny and Shiney, aka Shiners Fannin Peppy and Shiners Fannin Pepto.

We should be able to pick up Sweet Hija from the Brazos ESMS by the end of the week.

4 Comments

Filed under Horses, Sweet Hija

Tagged as ESMS on the Brazos, Jackson Land & Cattle Co, Kellee Clarke, Peppy San Badger, Peptoboonsmal, Semira Mancill

April 11, 2010 · 8:41 am

Sentient Sounds Abounding

I have located a bioacoustical website at Ohio State University containing several thousand bird, animal and environmental sounds. I seek permission from O.S.U. to use some of the recordings on my blog, especially the Sandhill Crane, Gunnison Sage-Grouse and the Harris’ Hawk. Until that time, here is the link to the website: Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics, Ohio State University. The Borror Laboratory has Sandhill Crane sounds nesting in Michigan (I looked for New Mexico and Texas) with two chicks. This laboratory also has domesticated sounds: canine, feline, bovine and equine.

More Sunday in The Grove with Bridal Path

Salt Creek Above the Road

Sunday Saunter

I have shredded the high grass in The Grove over the past few years. This year I intend to limit the shredding to a bridle path for us to ride horses and hike.

Drafted in 2003, the following is a list of rules for the ranch. In most cases, rules are not necessary for visitors, including family. From time to time, however, we have social gatherings of city slickers and tenderfoots that get agitated and liberated by the wide-open spaces in the West. Not wanting to spoil fun or merriment, but also wanting to preserve the habitat and wildlife on our place, these rules are posted on the refrigerator door of the main kitchen where guests will surely notice since soda pop and beer are stored therein. (Click to enlarge.)

The following list consists of daily or regular general chores to keep the place in shape. I apologize for the misspelling in Ranch Work Standing Order No. 12, although one could conceive of a wedding down in The Grove. Rules and chores are printed on heavy-weight paper (25 percent cotton bond), left over from the old days when heavy paper was needed for manuscript submission, so I cannot go into the printing and correct the misspelling. Folks, it’s an imperfect world. (Click to enlarge.)

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Filed under Flying Hat Ranch

April 4, 2010 · 7:10 pm

Sunday in The Grove

Lower Salt Creek

Oak Red Above Creek

No. 1 Flower The Grove

Brenda in The Grove

Today, Brenda and I drove to The Grove to have a small picnic lunch. She had suggested a picnic earlier in the morning. After a few chores, I came back by the house and Brenda met me at the back door with a picnic cloth sack. She got in the passenger seat after I moved the field bag and camera out of the way. We slowly drove to The Grove, about 0.4 miles on the pasture road, admiring the wildflowers along the way. (Tomorrow, I use a disc to bring topsoil over the seeds I spread yesterday.)

We had a light lunch of ham sandwiches, potato chips and Dr. Pepper. We finished the lunch off with small chocolate eggs wrapped in colored foil. As we sat on the tailgate of the pickup, we chatted about the flowers under our feet, the pre-blossom forms that presage the flower. We looked south into the Salt Creek ravine, not able to see the water in the creek, but feeling the effect of the cool water and the canopy of trees above us.

We then walked to the creek and I showed her the red oak tree (verify) that was different from other oaks along the bank. We walked along the creek bank — it’s rather deep, the creek ravine, about fifteen feet to the bed. We noticed a few old deer trails and holes under trees that animals had dug. I took photographs of wild flower specimens she discovered. She suggested that I hollow out a large oak tree that had fallen in order to put in some plants back at the house. We chatted about taking the surplus brick we had stored at the construction area and use it to floor the ground for the outdoor grill. I teased her that I was going to have to get out my notepad to take down all the projects she intends for me to accomplish.

We walked all the way to the east water gap and turned around, slowly walking back to the truck. Brenda said that this summer, Olivia, our grandchild, could put on long pants and hike with us along the creek and about the grove. We arrived back at the truck and drank some cold water, refreshing ourselves.

Brenda wanted to ride on the tailgate on the return trip. I promised I would go slow. I circled by the corrals and Shiney the colt was very interested in the person riding on the tailgate — a new visual for the little guy. After pausing to chat with the horses — fine horses, courageous horses — I drove back to the house, Brenda and I talking even though she was still riding the tailgate and I was driving. The wind was blowing, but not hard. Clouds and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico passed overhead. No rain fell although a forty percent chance had been forecast.

Sunday in The Grove.

19 Comments

Filed under Life in Balance

Tagged as Picnic, Sunday Afternoon, Wildflowers

April 4, 2010 · 8:55 am

Field Log 4/3/2010

North Erath County, Texas, 32.43 lat., -98.36 long. Elev. 1,086 ft. Turkey Creek Quad.

Day looks less windy and can broadcast grass seeds. Disc and broadcast today (Saturday). Take Sunday off.

Finished turning and applying disc implement to Pecan Tree Pasture and the house fields. Turned about four acres in the far pasture, two acres at the house fields. Harris’ Hawk flies overhead as I prep soil. The Bryant field west of the pecan orchard is being plowed so lessee can plant seed for hay. The lessee drives a John Deere enclosed cab. I like my Case that is not enclosed, but has a Farmall sun shield, because I can feel the wind and smell the turned soil. And, I really don’t want a CD player and radio on the tractor. Also, when idling the engine, I can hear the Harris’ Hawk — can’t do that with enclosed cab. Note: with the Bryant field stripped of grass and brush, there is less cover for wildlife.

As I apply the disc to the pasture, I can see the shadows of the Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) and Harris’ Hawk on the ground as they glide above the tractor. Several vultures roost in the dead tree on the Bryant place, along Barton Creek.

Wind over past two weeks has dried out topsoil despite rain.

I say to Brenda at lunch that I saw a wren-type, ground-feeding bird in the native grasses that I have let grow in the Pecan Tree Pasture. The bird spied the tractor coming and darted around and entered the tall bluestem grass (verify) as I passed by along the fence row. I have shredded the pasture twice since I moved here, but I’ll not be shredding any more. The fifty-three (53) acres will be as sustainable as I can make it. Seeing the wren in the field of native grass that Cody Scott had planted in 2004, signals to me that the field is a good habitat for wildlife. Last year as I worked in the field, I scared up two deer that had taken a rest in the high grass. Since the Halls cleared their brush and have put Adirondack chairs in their grove, small bridges over their gullies and a workshop next to the Pecan Tree Pasture, I’ll not be seeing as many deer as I once did. I’ll not be putting any chairs about the place. I’ll sit on a log or lean up against a tree — nature’s furniture.

Brought up the tractor with the Edge broadcast seeder and spreader. Backed tractor and spreader up to rocks on driveway so that water runoff would go onto lawn not puddle in driveway. Attaching PTO difficult. Used WD-40.

Case DX-55 with Edge Broadcast Seeder and Spreader, April 3, 2010 (click to enlarge)

Made calculations as to orifice size to allow seeds to fall through and be broadcast. Start out with a No. 2 opening. In the thumbnail below you can see a large white bag and a smaller bag. The larger bag is the native grass (25 lbs.) and the smaller is the wildflower seed (2 lbs.).

Southern Plains Native Grass Mixture #2901, April 3, 2010

Native Grass Seed Bag and Small Wildflower Bag, April 3, 2010

Texas and Oklahoma Native Wildflower Mixture, April 3, 2010

Wildflower Varieties Planted

Premium TEX / OKA Regional Wildflower Mixture

Common Name	*Type	Scientific Name	Flower Color
Baby’s Breath, Annual	A	Gypsophila elegans	White
Black-Eyed Susan	A/B/P	Rudbeckia hirta	Yellow
Bluebonnet, Texas	A	Lupinus texensis	Blue
Coreopsis, Lance-Leaved	P	Coreopsis lanceolata	Yellow
Cosmos, Sulphur	A	Cosmos sulphureus	Yellow/Orange
Candytuft, Annual	A	Iberis umbellata	White/Pink/Violet
Coneflower, Purple	P	Echinacea purpurea	Purple
Cornflower, Dwarf	A	Centaurea cyanus	Mix
Coneflower, Prairie	B/P	Ratibida columnifera	Yellow/Red
Coneflower, Clasping	A	Rudbeckia amplexicaulis	Yellow
Golden Wave Tickseed	A	Coreopsis basalis	Yellow
Evening Primrose, Dwarf	P	Oenothera missouriensis	Yellow
Evening Primrose, Showy	P	Oenothera speciosa	Pink
Gaillardia, Annual	A	Gaillardia pulchella	Yellow-Red
Mint, Lemon	A	Monarda citriodora	Lavender/White
Phlox, Annual	A	Phlox drummondii	Red
Poppy, Corn	A	Papaver rhoeas	White/Pink/Red
Prairie Clover, Purple	P	Petalostemon purpureum	Purple
Sage, Scarlet	A/P	Salvia coccinea	Red

Wildflowermix.com

Native Grasses Planted

The native grasses planted are: Blue Grama, Sideoats Grama, Buffalo Grass, Plains Bristlegrass, Little Bluestem, Prairie Junegrass and Sand Dropseed.

The wind came up to 10-15 m.p.h. in the afternoon. Delayed spreading until after supper at 6:15 p.m.

Following supper, spread seed in Pecan Tree Pasture and house pastures until 9:15 p.m. Used headlights on tractor to finish spreading. Orifice enlarged to Nos. 5 and 8. Spread some seeds on arena-south pasture. Must disc twice this area on Monday.

Salt Creek runs through the grove with about two-three inches of flow. Tadpoles emerge. I hear the trickle of flow as the water falls down on the rocks alongside the road to the far pasture. Cannot use the road because of the water flow and must go around the Halls place on SH 108. I put the Case tractor into high gear, fourth position and watch for traffic on the highway. I have lights flashing. In four trips to the far pasture today, only one vehicle passed me: a motorcycle with two people, man and woman, traveling to Stephenville, most likely to have barbecue at Hard Eight.

The quote I always have in mind: Begin with the sun and all else shall follow. — D.H. Lawrence.

4 Comments

Filed under Field Log, Plants and Shrubs

Tagged as Case Farmall Tractor, Ecology, Native Grass, Native Wildflowers, Southern Plains, Texas

April 2, 2010 · 6:24 am

The Horses of Flying Hat

I thought I would put in one post a photograph of each of the horses I work with on a daily basis here at our place, Flying Hat. All of these photographs can be enlarged by clicking on the photograph. By enlarging the photograph, if you have a moment, will reveal a lot of detail, as these photographs are usually 2.0 plus in megabytes. I like to take photographs using the most detailed mode (within reason, of course) I can. You can always lessen the detail in a photograph, but never add detail to it.

Shiners Fannin Peppy

This is Shiners Fannin Peppy or “Fanny.” Fanny has been in training — elementary school — for a hundred days with Duncan Steele-Park at the GCH Land & Cattle Company of Weatherford, Texas. Fanny is a daughter of Sweet Hija below. Fanny is quite vocal. She will begin to nicker once she knows that I am going to feed. It is a vocalization that is more of a chortle, kind of a gargle, deep-down in her throat. Fanny will continue to nicker-chortle every fifteen seconds or so until I put feed in her bin. Translation to English: “Oh, boy, I can’t wait, can’t wait for my grain. Oh, boy, oh boy.”

Sweet Hija

This is Sweet Hija or “Hija,” as we like to call her. I purchased her in 2003, from King Ranch. She starred in a King Ranch video for marketing before the auction at Kingsville. She cut cattle with J. R. Ramirez, her trainer, in front of two-hundred prospective buyers. I bought her at the King Ranch Legacy Auction in 2003, in front of 2,000 spectators — really stressful, but fun. When I walked to the stables to view Hija after purchase, two stalls down from her was her grandfather, Peppy San Badger. He was looking over the crowd and his granddaughter. Peppy San Badger was nearing the end of his days, but he was still eager to see people and his progeny — be around the excitement. I am sorry to say that I did not appreciate his background and heritage that day as I was just beginning to understand the quarter horse culture. Peppy San Badger, Hija’s grandsire, was one of the greatest quarter horses ever to have lived: he rewrote performance records and records in the show pen. He died in 2005, less than two years after he saw Hija load up into our horse trailer and come to Hannibal. I have a photograph that shows Peppy in the background, Hija in the fore. I’ll try and retrieve it for you some day.

When I saddle and ride Hija, I have to give her a run around the round pen before I mount (it’s been a while, however, since I’ve ridden) because she has that spirit of Peppy San Badger. He would give a little buck when you first mounted him, but not a mean buck, just an energetic buck that he was happy to be alive — so also, his granddaughter.

Ima Lil Moore

This is Lilly, the oldest mare in the remuda. I inherited Lilly and her son, Star, upon the settlement of my parents’ estate in 2003. Lilly is the alpha mare of the remuda. She is challenged by Fanny for placement at the food trough. Lilly likes to take her good time these days to come to the stall. I favor her and let her use the alleyway to get into her stall (see the alleyway above) rather than have her walk a longer distance. You can also see in the photograph above, the barn cat, Paint or Little Paint. Odd, but he has the same markings of Lilly.

Shiners Fannin Pepto

Here is “Shiney.” He is all-boy, a colt and a peppy one at that. He is the son of Sweet Hija. This is the guy I am having so much fun with these days. He is an intact male and I have him for sale, but Brenda and I have talked about keeping him — me more than her — but it would require the construction of a stallion run. Shiney is such a fine boy. I really like working with him.

Stars Bars Moore

Star is a gelding and the baby-sitter for Shiney. Star and Shiney inhabit the large outdoor arena and are given to playing many games of “Gotcha,” a variation of tag. Star is a large horse. I often refer to him with affection: The Beer Wagon Horse. Star is the son of Lilly. Star is known far and wide as the levitating horse of Flying Hat — check a previous post this winter on the blog.

A friend of mine at the college, Roland Stroebel, says to me almost daily, “I’m homesick, Jack.” By that he means that he wants to go back to his farm south of Cisco, Texas, and work with the land and his cattle. He misses his farm — homesick. When Roland’s work is done at the college, he leaves and I can see him working with his fine Angus cattle into the evening darkness.

When I am away from all of the horses and land upon which they trod, I am homesick for their companionship, their warm breath and smell. It is said: “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a person.” I believe that with all my heart.

19 Comments

Filed under Duncan Steele-Park, Flying Hat Ranch, Horses, Lilly, Shiners Fannin Peppy (Fanny), Shiney (Shiners Fannin Pepto), Star, Sweet Hija

Tagged as American Paint Horse Association, Carol Rose Horses, Duncan Steele-Park, King Ranch, Quarter Horses, Ranch Life in Texas, Texas