Circle Y Flex Endurance Saddle

I decided I need a new saddle. I haven't been riding since May of last year. I went riding with my friend Sara and her daughter and borrowed a saddle from her. My roping saddle doesn't fit my short backed Arab. I used it for my stout Quarter horse and I sold her a while ago.

And so the search was on for a saddle. I wanted a lighter saddle, not the 50 lbs roping saddle that I have. I wanted a saddle that I could use for trail riding, lightweight and easy on the horse. additional, one I could ride for hours and not be stiff when I got off!! I looked at treeless saddles but wanted one with more substance. Ortho-Flex and Circle Y seemed like two good saddles to look at....so armed with this knowledge I began my search.

A local guy, Mark just put up an ad for his 15" Circle Y Flex Endurance saddle. I meet him and tried it on Emma. She is a bit overweight but short backed and stout. The saddle fit her perfectly and now I am the proud new owner of a saddle.

This is the first saddle that I have owned that does not have a horn. It was very comfortable to ride and the leather was soft. It fit perfectly on Emma and was easy to put on and take off. I still hurt when I lift heavy items or twist wrong. My chest incision is not healed totally yet or healed wrong.

So trail riding I will go...YEAH

On The River Photos- by Kristi

My friend, Kristi is an great photographer. We are also the lifetime members of the Asian Sheepherder Association. At this trial, there was a whopping two members of the ASA!! It's a spoof, btw. So Kristi took some cool photos from this trial. It just took me a while to post them.

OK, so I am here at the post. I am stretching and relaxing before my run. Nan is wondering what the hell I am doing?

The turn at the post. See her but in the air. She is so in tune with me!

So we are just hanging out at the post and making it look easy. Or maybe we are having a talk on the State of the Union.

Calling her in for the shed. She comes in quick.

Holding the shed. I love how she sheds.

Now we are gathering the sheep so we can do the pen.

She is a good penning dog too.

This is from the same place and trial but this one was in May. This is another run. It was a bit colder then. I just had my last major heart surgery about 10 days earlier. I would get very tired after my runs as I was not totally healed yet. Dirk (trial host) made sure that I was ok during the trial and I really appreciated that.

Pushing the sheep in the grass. In parts of the field, I could only see the tips of her ears.

Kristi has her own website and to see her beautiful photos go to: airbear

Not a BAA-d ram!!

Wow, the cost of this ram is the cost of a house!! I think I rather buy the house!!

A British farmer who paid a new world record price for a sheep says the animal is the finest specimen he has ever seen. Farmer Jimmy Douglas shelled out 231,000 pounds ($347,000) for the 8-month-old Texel ram called Deveronvale Perfection at an annual sale in Lanark, Scotland. Douglas says the ram has "a great body and strong loin."

The British Texel Sheep Society says the fee paid Thursday is a world record, eclipsing a 205,000-pound price paid in Australia in 1989.Society member John Yates says the ram will likely father pedigree lambs worth millions of pounds (dollars) for his new owner.

Breeder Graham Morrison, of Banff, Scotland, says he was staggered by the price but insists Deveronvale Perfection lives up to his name.

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USBCHA Nationals Finals

The time is getting close for the Finals. I am really working my dogs to get ready. I am running Roo and Nan. I just got Roo back so we are getting used to each other again. Nan is runnig well for me. Getty and I are pulling the travel trailer and camping at the site. We will bring Tess and Rainey. No doubt we will haul along another dog or two.

BUT, if you have NOT volunteered for the Finals, they are still needing help. They also need dog sponsors. If you can't afford the full sponsorship, get five of you to pitch in $25 for a sponsorship.

The sheep are light so that should be fun. The trial comittee is working hard to make this go as smoothly as possible. Be sure to support them in their endeavors.

So having said that, here is a link to the website:

2009 USBCHA National Finals

I look forward to seeing you there!!

Chow Hound

Since Tess has retired she has taken on many new roles. At the Derek Fisher lessons we had at my place last weekend, she sorted and then drove the sheep down the road over 1/2 mile to the lesson field. Then she did some more sorting and her work was done for the day.....

That is until Janet was done with her breakfast snack from Starbucks.

Wait, there is ONE CRUMB left in that bag. I'll make sure NOTHING goes to waste her so I will eat it up....with a little help from Janet.


Ok, the bag is firmly in place. Let's inhale that last morsel. Mick watches and wishes he could get a crumb but Tess is not sharing.

Tess is done now and it is bag removal time.

Now that we had our snackies, it's time to sit in the biggest chair and watch Derek give lessons. Oh, what a busy life Tess has now that she is retired.

Fail Blog

In case you were wondering if my blog was all about my heart surgeries (hopefully a thing of the past) or working or trialing my dogs, I present a blog which is neither of the above two subjects.

Ever see something that makes you shake your head in wonder...such as stupid people, dumb signs, dingy animals, bad humor, and so forth...well go no further as there is a blog for that!!

It's called FAIL BLOG and it is is for items that need to be stamped "FAIL". I read this all the time!!

So click on the FAILBLOG and enjoy!!

Some more Photos from Bonnie Block

Last of the series from Bonnie (until I get more)

Nan on a trial over Jul 4th weekend. Look at huge her tongue is!!

Nan standing up to a Suffolk ewe. This ewe gave her issue the entire time and never wanted to join up with her flock, even at setout. Nan was game and gave it her all.

The ewe took a run at her and Nan meet her. The ewe lost and we got a DQ but I was proud of Nan for standing up to the ewe.

The second run at the trial. Here is the single.

Nice hold by Nan. She is a nice shedder!!

Lucy made it into the Double Lift at this trial. She never did a Double Lift but she was game.

Look at her cutting horse turn.

A ewe thought she was going to bust out but Lucy got her and turned her.

Look at the determination in her eyes.

OK, slow down and take a break.

The Double Lift. She had a great drive and kept the flock together quite well.

Bringing the sheep back into the shedding ring.

Trying to get that last cut. We ran out of time.

Lucy was a good dog and I was proud of her.

Sampling of Photos from this year

My friend Bonnie Block takes photos at the trials. I have featured her photos before. I just got my CD of a bunch of recent trial photos and wanted to share them with you.

Tess getting ready to shed at Whidbey Island in June.

Calling her in. The sheep were super, super light and you had one chance to do it and had to be QUICK!!

Tess shedding for full points. These sheep were very difficult to shed.

Nan on the drive at Key Pen in May. I love this dog!!

I love how her one white paw is on the air.

Nan is a great driving dog. She hardly loses any points on the drive unless I screw up.

I just love this photo. See how big her ears are! She is very intense.

Tess putting the sheep through the Maltese Cross at Ewefull Acres in June. Tess can pen anything, all I have to do is hold the rope and look cute.

Now going through the other side. Am I looking cute yet?

Tess on a walk up. She looks so calm and relaxed. I am probably biting my fingernails and dancing in place from nerves!!

Hum, holding the line. No ewe will slip past her.

Tess on a walk up. She is a great driver. When she first was learning to drive, she was horrible. Thanks to Scott Glen and his patience, he has made her into a driving machine. One trial we lost 2 points on the drive. I about fainted. She would usually lose 4-5 points on the drive. If I would give her a wrong flank on the drive to miss the panel, she would turn around and look at me as if to say "Got your stupid driving sign lit up...try turning it off and giving me the correct flank". I would then give her the correct flank and we would make the panel. For a long time, I got a lot of use out of that sign.

Tess loves to shed. Ironically, she was a horrible shedder at first and again, thanks to Scott, she became a shedding machine. Also the years of shedding work on the farm helped quite a bit. She would get low to the ground and hold, like a cutting horse and her eyes would sparkle. I am going to miss that with her. We would look at each other across the shedding ring, our eyes would lock, then poof a shed....

Driving up a hill to a panel. Tess is calm behind the sheep and is like driving a reliable sedan, slow and steady, no flash but gets there with no muss or fuss.

Coming into the ring. This was one of my favorite parts with Tess.

Another drive. Her ears are up with means she is happy!!

Slowing her down as she can push on the drive. See the ears have gone back. She probably didn't like being told to slow down!!

OK, so now she is holding a nice steady pace and looking nice.

These are a bunch of Tess in action. She is enjoying herself here. She has a happy smile.

The happy smile. I can read her expression so well.

Walking up and looking serious now.

Put your right foot out,Put your right foot in....do the hokey pokey!!

Well, let's go for both feet off the ground. Nice action shot!!

Going full out. See, Tess can actually run fast if needed!! She is in a race.

Another Seabiscuit photos...going for the win!!

This is the quilt that Tess won as highest scoring Open dog over six trials. What a way to end her career. I miss her already but she does come to the trial to be my lap warmer and setout or exhaust and most importantly of all, be the arm chair herder!!

I'll post more of Bonnie's photos later. If you want dog or birds or any cool photos, I suggest checking out her site. She will also be at the Finals and taking photos so stop by her booth and visit her.

To see her wonderful photo's go here: Bonnie