3 November 2007

It has been a difficult week and I am still not resolved on the last issue I posted about or if there is anything I can do about it. It is so frustrating. Thanks to all of you who visited and commented on my last post I appreciate it.

I have been sifting through some of my old photos, I have bought an external hard drive which I want to use to just save the original files of pictures that I think have any value as stock images or art. I am not sure where to start. I also am getting stuff together for the magazine that I have been submitting photos to. I have thousands and thousands of photos and if I ever get my negatives back there will be so many to go through there too. I really need to get it all together, get a DVD of my horse stock made up and distributed to the magazines I submit to with all the keywording etc. and hope to get that done this winter. The one above is one I shot a few years back and is a crop of a larger picture but I liked the shape of the mane when I saw her riding in the ring and zoomed in as much as possible but still had more in the frame than I wanted. I love all the different ways that they braid the manes here it can look so cool.

Well not much to report other than that. Finally finished my fence and it is working great and holding up so I am pleased and we have found someone to help with the replacing of the water spickets, only problem is one went in and worked perfectly straight off and of course we went ahead and put the other one in which was 4 foot down underground and a pain to dig down to and like dimwits we filled the hole back up before we tested it and guess what????? It doesnt work so we are going to have to dig up four foot of clay mud AGAIN!!!

Hope you are all having a good weekend. (((Hugs)))

Lori
xx

13 October 2007

Okay so I was lazy and didnt post the last two days LOL. Really I have had a few blaaah days and have not shot anything in a week so have been very uninspired once again. We had frost this morning, hard to think that a week ago it was in the 90s with minimums upper 60s, now the minimums 7 days later are in the upper 30s!!! I must say I am enjoying the cooler weather a lot more though, just wish that the comfortable temps would last a bit longer, not just the few days between too hot or too cold.

The picture today is one that I shot of Wiggle a few years ago using slow shutter speed to create the blur effect. You would think shots like this would be easy to get but believe me they arent LOL.

The fence is slowly getting finished. The lad who was helping didnt show on Wednesday and we knew he wouldnt be here Thursday or Friday because they were moving house. He came in for about 2 hours yesterday but we wont see him until Monday (hopefully). I really want to get this darn fence finished now so that I can use the area. Taxes needs exercise other than running around in the bottom half of the barn. He has always been so active and he is bouncing off the walls. He is so naughty.

Well nothing exciting to report. Hope you are all having a great weekend thus far and continue to for tomorrow. (((Hugs))))

Lori
xx

1 October 2007

Well I missed three days in the end. We left at about 1.30 on Friday but still got caught in a traffic jam while trying to go around Indianapolis and ended up taking 6 hours instead of 3, crazy traffic. The show was hectic but the weather was wonderful to us, last year this show was held indoors because it rained the whole day on Saturday. Got a bit hot in the afternoons, mid 80s but bearable. We only left Edinburg at 7pm on Sunday night and it was 10pm before we got home, I was exhausted and actually still am.

Todays pictures of of one of the Trail classes. I think I would like to do this with my filly if I ever get to ride her and compete. It is done in the western style of riding, sont be familiar to anyone outside USA. The horses have low head carriages and very slow walks, trots and canters. Most of the riders ride with only one hand on the reins (there are a few bridles which are exceptions) so all of the movements are done with leg pressure (most use spurs - not those mean old cowboy ones LOL) and rein pressure on the neck and of course weight adjustment. The first picture is of the horse going over the "wooden bridge". This is a pretty well times shot, with the rider giving the reins so the horse can put its head down and watch what it is doing as it steps up onto the bridge. The other three are a series where the rider has to open the gate (in this case a chain and rope), and while holding on to the rope with the same hand, back your horse up, pivot your horse through the gate opening, back the horse up on the other side and replace the chain to close the "gate" without letting go. The trail course consists of all sorts of other obstacles such as trotting poles which you have to trot over (they are evenly spaced laying flat on the ground) them without touching the poles. Another obstacle would be a four sided square made up of 8 foot poles which you have to trot into and halt in side, then do a 360 degree pivot without touching the poles and walk back out of the box. Lots of others which I wont go into or It will take all night LOL.

I only have a few print orders to mail out as we managed to get most of them printed at the show and the customers took them home with them. I have a few editing jobs in the process still from previous shows which are going to mean replacing bad backgrounds with nice ones and are a lot more time consuming so I do those here at home.

So guys I am still in the land of the living, am going to get an early night so that I can get started early tomorrow. I hope you all had a great weekend.

((((((((Hugs))))))))

Lori
xx

20 September 2007 (2nd post)

Abraham asked me about my calendars. Here are a few examples of what I did last year. I also did two on cats. The pictures show what one of the pages looks like on the left and on the right are all the pictures I used, one on each month.




((((Hugs))))

Lori

19 September 2007

I was having Taxes withdrawals so thought I would try to shoot some of the brat inside the barn. His leg is healing beautifully and the scar is nowhere near as big as I thought it was going to be. This little guy is looking like a tank and filling out. Not the greatest pictures but hope they satisfy the Taxes itch. I told him all day that MiKael had called him a Land Shark, I just love that analogy LOL. MiKael, thanks yes I did get the e-mail about the camera. I promise we will get together soon on that. I am sorry about your blog content, if there is any way I can help on that let me know I have become quite good at tracking people down on the internet. Give me a link to the stolen text and I will give it a go.

Our temps were in the low 60s this morning and by this evening it was 86 again with the next week expected to be in the upper 80s. I only got one more post set but I did get the stables finished in the main barn and the load of sawdust unloaded. Still working on the orders from the shows, we are starting to get online orders which is great.

That's it for today. More jobs piling up, I need to get some calendars made for next year to sell off the website and a thousand other things.

Hope you are all having a great week, great to see some of my old visitors popping in again!!!! I will get organised one day I hope :-(

(((Hugs)))

Lori

18 September 2007

It is going to be another short one tonight. It was really hot this afternoon and I tried cleaning a few stalls and got four more posts concreted in for the fence. I also worked on some of my print orders and the picture today is one of the win shots that I did at the backdrop.

Other than that it has been a bit of a blaah day. MiKael I LOVE your analogy of Taxes and colts in general going throught the "land shark" stage LOL. I had to giggle when I read that, it will now forever be known as the land shark stage!!!

We thought we had a good home for two mares in Iowa who are in foal to a Palamino World Champion. They and the one foal are due to come back here any day. Anyway we spoke to the lady today and told her we would consider the price she was offering if we had the pick of the foals born next year. She turned that down because she said she was only really interested in the babies and would "dump" the mares after the foals had been weaned. NNNOOOOTTTT. These are two really nice mares. I am so bumbed at this situation because I dont want my horses going to a sale but it is getting more and more apparant that I am fighting a losing battle.

Hope everyone is well and having a great week. (((Hugs))))

Lori
xx

17 September 2007

Another picture from the show this weekend, one of my better barrel shots, this young lady ran the pattern in 11.x seconds. Pretty quick!! I dont get many opportunities to shoot contesting so I enjoy it when I do.

I got two stables stripped and rebedded today, also got some of the picture orders done and caught up on a bit of the paperwork that I have been getting behind on. The weather is beautiful at the moment, no rain in the forecast but temps in the upper 70s and low 40s in the mornings.

I can't wait to get the fence finished, hope to get on with that by Wednesday, I really want to get Taxes out to have a run. I turn him out in the area at the end of the barn (32 ft x 40ft) which enables him to get a good run and play in but there is nothing like having them outside. He was always so active. I dont want to take any photos of him until I get him outside but he is filling out and is looking like a tank. He is sooooo naughty, going throught the I want to nip and bite everyone and everything. He is muscling up really nicely.

That is it for today, I am going to get an early night, lots to do tomorrow. Hope everyone had a great weekend and a better Monday. (((Hugs))))

Lori
xx

16 September 2007

(Click on picture to enlarge)

I missed yesterday because of my computer being packed in the bus for the show this weekend so that is day 3 missed since January 1st, not too bad LOL.

It was a strange weekend weatherwise. I had to wear a jacket on Saturday even out in the arena in the sun because the wind was so cold!!! Today was a bit better, cold to start off but it really got hot this afternoon.

The picture above is of a miniature pony called Little Bit and the doglette in the carriage is Lexi. I havent had time to look through what I have shot but it was a bit of a difficult weekend, my timing of my shots was off for some reason so I struggled. I will post more as the days go on when I have caught up.

It is late once again so I am going to sign off now and check in tomorrow with more pics.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. ((((Hugs)))))

Lori

xx

12 September 2007

No pretty pictures today I am afraid. This is the rear end of Wiggle, poor baby. The rest of her body and BB and Cats are improving, but the worst areas were her hindquarters either side of her tail and inside her back legs. I have been spraying her with a conditioner solution and betadine and baby oil which seems to be helping but of course the dirt is getting lodged into the scabby areas and that is the black that you can see. Normally you wouldnt be able to see the pink at all. I have another ointment that I am going to put on her legs tomorrow to see if it will help. I sprayed her with sunscreen today as well. So I suppose it is a waiting game. It has been far cooler which had been a help.

I spent the whole day rebuilding 500 - 600 ft of old damaged fencing that has been slowly disintigrating. I had Cayenne escape two nights in a row and then the next night Lori got out too. Unfortunately my neighbor who we dont have a good relationship with, and who works until midnight came home on two of the nights at 12.30am to find one of my horses standing by their garage, she said that Lori was inside the garage!!! Not good!!! So I have had them stalled until I could get the fence repaired. I ran new strands and then ran a hot wire along the full length. I also put orange tape on it to make it more visible and only finished checking it and putting the horses back out at 8.30pm this evening so it has been another long day. I am once again getting far behind on my blogging visits, I am sorry. Didn't even touch the new wooden fence, that will have to continue tomorrow.

I have another horse show this weekend at New Castle. We wont be staying in a hotel, it is a 50 minute drive and with it only being a two day show we will drive back and forth each morning and evening. My last show will be two weekends after that but it is in Edinburgh which means two nights away again, and that will be it for the year.

Well that is it for today. ((((Hugs)))) to you all.

Lori

xx

1 August 2007

Two pictures today, one of "brat baby" Taxes with his bandage on. It has actually slipped down a bit, it is a very difficult place to try to keep a bandage on. I let him outside for a bit today and he was very well behaved and didnt run like a mad thing, just nibbled on the weeds and grass and got a bit of fresh air. He also has his little green halter on. I have had to leave it on him because I want him to get used to it so that when I do take it off he wont mind me putting it back on.

The second picture is of Blue who I have started putting out in the roundpen while the shade is over it and for the nights. It has been so hot and I am sure he enjoys the cool outside air. That is Blaze, his son, in the background looking on. Dosie has settled in with the two mares out in the field which I am grateful for, so now Blue can have his area and get some exercise. I would love to geld him too so that he is not such a liability and can also have a life. He is the most loving colt I have, he will find something to amuse himself no matter what. I would love to be riding him.
Very very hot again and for the foreseeable future too. I dont get much done outside because by 7.30am it is already dreadful and only starts to cool after 9pm and then it is still muggy and hot.

I am nearly finished preparing my print orders, then I just have to print them and get them in the mail. If anyone is interested the proofs are on my website, the Welsh Pony show. http://prophotobylori.net/

I can't believe we are into August already. I am going to turn in after checking a few of my blogging buddies' blogs. (((Hugs)))) to you all

Lori
xx

28 July 2007

Just a quickie, we have internet access at the Motel and I didnt bring my laptop so am using Joyce's and unfortunately she has no card reader to upload one of my pics to her computer so I am posting a shot that she took today which I think is awesome (I taught her well LOL, no really she has a great eye for people, has never been around horses so this was new to her). I am glad I got to post because I didn't want to miss a day.

Things are going pretty well, very very hot and humid but at least good weather for an outdoor show.

Talk tomorrow night when I get home. (((((Hugs)))))

Lori

xx

27 July 2007

I started the day off very badly this morning. Taxes got through the fence to go and play with the mares, I managed to turn the electricity off and lift the wires enough for him to go under and back to his side but he promptly walked back through, I didnt see him do it as I had my back turned to him putting the fence back in its holders, so can only assume that he stepped over the wires and because the electric was off they didnt zap him. He and the two fillies raced up and down and the next moment he veered off towards the fence at full speed and tried to jump it. He got his back leg caught in the wire and now has a really bad wound, the whole front of his lower leg has almost been skinned, about six inches long and three inches wide. I got the vet over and he said it would be pointless to stitch it as he already had sawdust in the wound when he ran back into his stable and it is in a really bad place to stitch. I have managed to dress it temporarily and the neighbor who is feeding them for me this weekend (who has had to tend a similar wound to one of the horses before I met Larry) is going to be keeping up with the cleaning and dressing of it until I get back on Sunday. I am praying that he is going to be one of those horses that doesnt chew bandages. He hasnt touched it yet. So these pictures of him from yesterday will be the last for a while as he has to be confined to his stable until it heals and that could take months.

This is a picture of my filly Lori yesterday when I let Dosie (her daddy) out with them......
..... and this is Dosie enjoying his first taste of freedom!!
I am making this short as I am packing to go to the show and wanted to post before packing the computer up to take it with. If I am unable to post tomorrow from the motel with my laptop it will be the first day that I have missed since starting this blog on 1st January this year.

I just hope the weekend goes better, I feel sick knowing that I have to leave Taxes for two days but the neighbor is very good with the horses and loves them just about as much as I do I think, so they are in good hands. My poor little boy.

I will be back on Sunday evening, take care everyone ((((Hugs)))))

Lori
xx

8 July 2007

Today's picture is of Taxes and momma. I very rarely see him nursing now and in fact her bag has really reduced in size which tells me that she is keeping him from nursing and is ready for him to be weaned. Poor boy, this is gonna be fun. I will wait until next weekend I think, he will be three months old on the 15th.

It has been very very hot today, 94 degrees F. I spent as much time inside as possible. I didnt get to but the lumber today either as Tiffany was delayed and when I phoned the store to find out if the price was still valid tomorrow he told me that he had run out of them anyway and would be getting more in tonight!!! Just as well, I would have been really miffed if we had gone all that way for nothing.

Four of the baby barn swallows flew outside today with their parents, just one lagging behind. I am sure it will follow soon. I was interested to see when I looked online that they have two lots of babies every summer. They dont use the same nest for the second lot of babies, they make a different nest, but when they return next year they will reuse the nests. This because of lice and mites which have gone by the following year. They also say that the second lot of babies are quite often fed by the fledglings from the first group along with the parents. I nearly lost one of the babies from the other nest in the old barn. I found it floating on the top of the water bucket when I went in to feed tonight. I dont know what made me look in there because the stable is empty at the moment, but there was the poor little thing looking helpless floating there. It obviously hadnt been there long because it would have got soaked and drowned if it had. I took it out and got a ladder and put it back in the nest. I hope they are going to be okay because after this I read that you can very rarely reintroduce a baby back into the nest because the others will jump out when you get close. I just held my hands over the sides until they had settled down and when I looked this evening they all seemed to be there and okay. I will see if they are still being fed by their mother and father tomorrow. I will be really upset if I have messed it up.

Well it is very late again, after 11pm. I am really battling with the heat, maybe that will mean that the hot flushes will keep me warm this winter LOL. Oh well. (((((HUGS)))))) to all.

Lori
xx