WE HAVE BEEN NOTICED....!!!!

Our little Blog has been noticed and acknowledged! Jack Calder has nominated the Massie Lodge site for the Sport 927 Internet Awards - what a thrill! You know it doesnt matter if we dont win (yes it does!), the fact that we have been noticed is the most important thing.


Author: jack_calder Timestamp:- 28/5/2005 8:25:05 PM Subject: Re: SPORT 927 Internet Awards

Message: I have got to nominate a site on the internet that, while not a huge concern like the Darley's, Vinery etc., it offers something for all the people who are not in that budget range. I think what i like most about this site is that there is a news section and in the news section is a link to a Blog entitled, "The life and times of Massie Lodge", makes for fascinating reading about the day to day running of a small boutique property and the author seems to like to add her views about the world here and there. Certainly a very refreshing site and we have got to known the people who run Massie Lodge through the site and the blog!So, i would like to nominate, the Massie Lodge site, (Boutiqe accommodation for your thoroughbred) www. massielodge.com for the Best Stud/Breeding Related site. Certainly makes a welcome change to see the smaller guys out there and giving it a go. JC

Thank you JC, Im humbled that you think we are worthy of noting.

Helen.

Massie Lodge 

WHY IS IT ...........

that you can spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on a horse (in this case rugs - neck, body, hoods, tail bags mind you all in designer colours and patterns and which have been guarranteed in blood that they will not rip, tear or tarnish) and yet they never seem grateful that you have gone to this expense and end up ripping and tearing all and sundry?

Take Charlie the yearling for example. 1 x Ripstop Canvass rug - $60, 1 x Ripstop Neck Rug - $66, 1 x Ripstop, waterproofed winter rug - $90. This was bought to stop him from growing hair. Hmmm, next good idea.................

I havent even mentioned the fact that I painstakingly lined all of the above in Hession so that it would pull out the hair - my time of course, invaluable!

Each day he finds new ways of tearing the lining, pulling off the rings and clips and breaking straps. Is this ungrateful behaviour? I think so. LOL

Lets face it, if a horse is going to grow hair, there arent many ways to stop it, bar 24hrs a day, 7 days a week 27 degree temperature or perhaps a pair of clippers.

What is the point of my story today? (You are probably wondering!). I think what Iam trying to get at is that it doesnt really matter how hard you work to present your yearlings for sale. It doesnt matter if they can stand on two hooves and whistle Dixie, while juggling saltlicks in the air. If they are commercial and "in fashion" then it doesnt matter if you dye their forelock yellow and paint their toes red. People will buy at extrordinary prices, which will push up service fees. One wonders where it will end? (One also wonders where people get the money to pay for these?)

Yes, we are frustrated yearling preparers (and not the only ones i imagine) ... In the meantime, we will continue on as we have been and hope that we can stop this hair growth.

AAAArgh!


Helen

ITS WINTER ....

No its not but it might as well be! We are very grateful to those of you who braved the curious looks of onlookers to do a rain dance for us, we received over an inch and a half in the last few weeks and it never ceases to amaze me how quickly the pasture comes back...

It also never ceases to amaze me how quickly the horses see the blades of grass and eat the bloody things before they get a chance to grow to any decent length? Oh well.... as long as they enjoy it. I cant but help watch them get down to a very short blade of grass and try to pick it out by their teeth.... be it one or two blades.... but they do!

Queenie has come up to be the Victor mower for the short moment that there is some grass around the house... and she will have to life her game if she is going to keep up the good record of the Victor TT (Turkish Trousers) model.

All the weaning is done and now we can sit back for a short while until the June MM sales, where we have or are continuing to prepare a yearling. It certainly has been a great education curve for both Evan and I. Mind you, even though Evan curses and swears through all of this, he is talking this yearling for that sale next year and that one for the other sale. Hmmm. Guess what we are doing next year? lol

All the weaners are doing very well and as you will see from the photos are all hairy mamoths in the making (well it does get very cold here in Warwick). All the mums in foal are starting to look pudgy and are walking like they have a baby in their stomach! Funny, I was down the back with the girls today and I stook behind Nanna (Splendid Feeling) and all I could see were two sides of her stomach sticking out on both sides. Time seems to be flying. Before you know it I will be telling you about the births of all the foals again.

Both Evan and I are still talking about perspective sires for the girls.... its a big decision considering what has been happening at the sales. People paying top dollar, i mean, hundreds and thousands for a yearling that isnt even guaranteed to make it to the track.... (in saying that statement, iam thinking or rather iam hoping that someone will pay hundreds and thousands for our yearling. No need to raise your eyebrow on that last statement! We know that it just wont happen with our boy, but a few nice bids will be sufficient - thank you!).

Um, did I tell you he was Lot 19?

No?

Ok, consider yourself informed!

Comings and Goings....

Precious/Princess has gone home to Cairns to be broken in ... she was a good girl and was no trouble whatsoever.

Trousers (yes, the Victor TT model), has gone down the back to be with the preggie girls... We have been feeding her up since taking Short Pants off her, trying to get her back to good condition. We have been adding Promita to her feed so hopefully this will give her a boost!

Vera, Zandrea have been removed from Stud duties this year. Considering that Vera has had 12 babies in her life.... can you believe that? Silken Snooks will take over from Zandrea.

Charlie is off to the MM sales Tuesday week. I will miss the boy as he is a real personality.

Apart from that, Short Pants is doing very well with her leading training and is as quiet as quiet can be. Miss Caramel is still fairly head strong... Iam thinking she is the spit of her dam, Havachat in personality. Now that is scary. But the thing that i really like about her is that she still looks for a cuddle and pats, which means she does have some sook in her. Lily and April are putting up with each other in their paddock - just. Lenny/Ozman and Jakey are the 3 muskateers. Out of all of those 3, Lenny is the one who is coltish and I really like the way he is coming together. His mother in his head, but Kinjite all over in prescence. Oz is just another softie.

Life is good, isnt it? Especially here at Massie Lodge.

Helen

P.S. Peachface Update: Missy the female has started throwing eggs out of the box.... phew... as there were 3. AAAAArgh! Anyone want one?

This is my Lily 2 days old... she is now 8 mths old. Doesnt time fly? 

A work in progress.... This is Lily (by Private Agenda out of Splendid Feeling). Up at the back, lots of hair (actually she is in running for the Mamoth of the Month award here at Massie Lodge). Not a good photo but crikeys, she is going to be a lean, mean racing machine when she grows up if the bones are any indication. This little girl has a heart of gold and a temperament to match. 

Gotta love the fringe..... not. Charlie. 

Queenie practising being the Victor (I think she is the Victor QZ model?)... and cleaning out the hay in the back of the Ute. Gotta love the Queen. 

Libby (By Euclase)... in foal to Dust in the Wind. Looks like she will be having a big bubs :) 

My Ozman... by Dodge.... this boy has a very sweet temperament.... 

Young Lenny by Kinjite out of Sweet Air. A very hairy young man! lol 

Sweetie (Sweet Air). I found out today that she won her maiden at Kembla Grange and won an open trial at Rosehill - not bad i reckon. She is in foal to Private Agenda. 

My Nanna (Splendid Feeling) with her tummy just starting to bulge. Not bad for a 20yo. 

SHORT PANTS...

is out of the weaning barn and doing very well with her training. She is a very calm and mature little one and is just gorgeous and we are positive that her "parents" will be very pleased with her. Trousers has adjusted very well to life without her Shorts, and very happy that she doesnt have to share her feed with anyone else for a while (well, at least until November of this year!).

I actually sat down and had a look when all the girls were due, looks like we start at the beginning of October this year with the bubs and Nanna (who is foal to Canadian Silver) will lead the girls. Sweetie (in foal to Private Agenda) and Libby (in foal to Dust in the Wind) are mid October with Trousers (Irish Royal) on 25th November. Kay, who is in foal to Irish Royal, and is now down in Melbourne is due at the end of October and all reports from her new owner say that she is absolutely blooming! (Which is excellent news).

Where to send the girls is the question we are pondering at the moment. Havachat will go back to Moon Rocket. Zandrea "may" go to NSW sire Sports Works, however this is still being discussed. Snooks, well what a decision where to send my Century girl! I have been thinking about where to send Snooks and have come up with the following list:-

1. Dust in the Wind
2. Private Agenda
3. Kinjite
4. Dantibes
5. Canadian Silver
6. Irish Royal

What I was looking for was trying to get some crosses with Nasrullah, Prince Quillo and Djebel. The last two choices were because I like their progeny. Iam very impressed with Shorts and the way she is put together, this little filly has class and prescence and is very light on her feet. However, if I could breed Better Boy back to life I would! As it is now, Jakey (Libby's colt by Private Agenda) has a x2 Better Boy, x3 Century and a x2 cross back to Sir Tristram - you cant get closer than that.

There is still plenty of time to decide!

Well, another week has finished. I have done my stint at Telstra for this week. One thing that I have noticed from working there is that people just love to stick it up Telstra! Sometimes deservedly so, however, sometimes I think that people just do it for the sport of it.. Oh well, thats people for you I guess.

Hopefully with the rain that we have had and the warm days we will get some green action starting. Mind you, I am not complaining. Mind you, thats not what I was thinking when i slipped base over apex from the mud ! AAAArgh.

Life is good, isnt it?

Helen.

Lance, Bessie Merle and Matilda (in the background) posing for their photo - smile lancey !!!  

Matilda, enjoying the sun  

YUMMMOOOOO...Nicely up at the rump and plenty of bone to grow into. This girl is very impressive as are most of the Irish Royal weaners. 

SHORT PANTS... "Im a big girl now - just look at the size of my tummy???" lol 

An Inch...

of rain... can you believe it? Mind you, it wasnt enough and to do some good we need some follow up pretty quickly. And the chances of that are? ............... HMMMMM!

Lots been happening here at Massie Lodge over the last few days:-

The big news is that for my birthday (Sunday) my beautiful CENTURY mare, Silken Snooks, arrived from Conamble, NSW. She is only 15 and by saying only, she would have to be one of the youngest Century mares still alive. She is a beautiful big girl, like all of the Better Boy mares, and has settled in with the dry girls very easily. Snooks's dam, Silken Grey (by Plush) has had 7 to race with 3 winners. The second dam, Chicola Recalled is a half sister to Swift and Sure, Rue Nought. Her third dam, Chicola, is where the black type kicks in.

Anyway that really doesnt matter much to me because I have captured a piece of Australian racing history with Snooks being by the mighty colonial sire, Century. Our Better Boy breeding stock is now complete with a mare also by Euclase (Century) and a 3yo filly by Kinjite (Centaine).

Shortie Pants was weaned on Saturday and is coming along nicely, all things being equal, she should be out of the weaning yard today.

Jakey is coming along nicely with the halter training and is a good little boy.

The yard is getting a little crowed up here and Jake and Ozman will go down the back to join Lenny in his paddock. Lily and April will now be room mates and will wait for Caramel and Shorts.

I feel a small sense of achievement being able to amass my Better Boy Girls, hopefully being able to inject back into the industry something that is now sadly lacking.

Life is good.

Evan in with Short pants in the weaning barn. Shortie is thinking that the long blue monster will get her, but with alot of reassurance and pats from Evan, she soon will realise its nothing and a lead rope will become part of her life. Today (Monday) we will try a little halter on her and hopefully she can come out then. 

"Im a big boy dad" and a very hairy one at that!!! Plenty of good bone with this boy. Gotta love the Jakeman! 

Always time for a cuddle after training :-) 

Halter training time for Jakey (By Private Agenda out of Miss Independence) 

Probably not the best picture, but she is a lovely big 16hh girl. 

Silken Snooks, by the mighty colonial sire, CENTURY. 

Ummm

It's raining.

7ml at 11am and it hasnt stopped (its now 12.53pm).

My Big Boy Jakey

was weaned from his mum today. There wasnt a murmur from either mum or bubs. I think they both knew that it was time to cut the apron strings. Secretly Libby thinking "Thank goodness I no longer have to share my feed!" and Jakey stating "WOW, I get all of this!"

I must say that Iam very impressed with the temperaments of the Private Agenda babies, both Lily and Jakey have the best temperament I have seen (Ozzie would run a close second - he is just his mother all over). Then would come Lenny (Kinjite), April (Canadian Silver) and then Caramel. Caramel is just a little highly strung - but I think we have sorted that out. Last but not least will be Shortie pants who I know is going to be a handful - she and her mum Trousers, just about run the paddocks around the house. I think its because she is just so smart and has very quickly gotten into the routine of a morning.

1. Wake up Evan with calling out if he isnt out by 630am.
2. Eat mum's hard feed when she is tucking into the hay.
3. Make a beeline for the back of the Ute (where all the hay is left from carting)
4. Start hovering around the feedshed at 10.30 (when Evan is out walking Charlie) - knowing that they will be given hay to get them out of the way!
5. Hover around the weaned ones as they get hay after being worked.
6. Bolt back to my yard by 3.30pm in time for feeding.
7. Get up and do it all again tomorrow

Enjoy the routine while it lasts little one (Shorts) because soon your apron strings will be cut too in the very near future! And that will be it.

Phew! Im exhausted just writing about it.

We were lucky to have a visit from Evan's sister Leonie and friend of family, Michelle, yesterday. Leonie and Michelle are visiting Leonie's daughter and girls in Brisbane and came down to meet all the crew.

It still continues to be very windy here at Massie Lodge and any rain of any description still elludes us. Surely it has to rain soon?

No!

No?

AAArgh.

Anyone know of any rain dances?


Helen.

I really am a TIRED, BIG BROWN DOG... 

Iam a BIG BROWN DOG... 

"Now this needs to be pulled over here and... what the hell have you done to these straps?" 

"Charlie - come here and I will fix you up... c'mon..." lol 

"UM, Can someone PLEASE take these rugs and things OFFFA me!"