Pleasant Surprise

[Northern Rancher]

Ty and I had to gather cows out of the swamp today-he rode that young mare he's starting-I've never seen a horse take to mud like she did. Her first time in the muskkeg with somebody on her and she never hesitated. Had to cross the creek five or six times and not a falter. Usually a young horse needs to follow an older horse through it. I've never seen so much soil deposited by a flood I got alot of freee dirt this spring from the flood. We were cinch deep in that crap for most of the afternoon-now my number one son is claiming my little mare lol. My old Hopsing was great in softground but Jellybrean looks like she'll be good too.

 

[PureCountry]

Great to hear Northern. When you say flooding, have you got a creek or something on your place that topped it's banks? The Battle River here at Hardisty flooded over a coouple different times this year. It's down about 3 feet now, but still roaring good.

 

[Northern Rancher]

We have a creek that cuts cornerwise through our bush pasture-real swamp with willows and muskkeg on both sides of it. There's water backed up all through there-there were places we were in mud so deep that the water was halfway up my boots-you really put yourself in your horses hands back there-if they panic and bog down it's not a good deal. I've had to unsaddle a few in loons...t up to my waist. It's one thing to be able to cross a low spot but to be able to get through miles of it is another. I can't believe the amount of dirt that's deposited in my meadow from this spring-it's pretty fertile ground as it is.

 

[DJL]

I hate bog! Our willow/creek bogs aren't anything as bad as yours, NR, but they are as bad as I want to deal with. You can take the girl off the prairie, but you can't take the prairie tendencies out of the girl! It's nice to have a good horse you can trust no matter what you go through. The draft cross mare my son is starting is going to be my next number one horse, I'm hoping.

 

[Northern Rancher]

Those draft types keep their heads little better than some straight quarter horses-not all but some.