UPDATE ON SOFIE

We found out in July that Sofie's feet were not as okay as we had been lead to believe by our first farrier. In fact she had flat feet with no soles and was rushing around under saddle, because she was in pain. So for a month her feet were cast by a local natural foot trimmer and Meghan handwalked her for an hour a day. She grew soles and now has pretty wonderful feet. With the feet issue resolved Sofie figured out she had some body issues from trying to run off her feet. So she's been in rehab to develop better muscling and more connection between her front and back ends. She seems to be much more relaxed these days...enjoys her stretches and has been on some shorter trail rides without getting all gnarly. Everyone who meets her agrees she is a sweet horse who just needed a chance to be one person's partner. The chiropracter comes out on Wednesday to insure she is as straight as possible, and we will continue from there.

FLEECE SHOTS

Tennyson's fifth fleece. I adore this ram.

Winter Sky Ani's second fleece. She is an Orion F2 ewe out of my "A" line. She is being bred to Forrest for NCWGA lambs in 2010.

Whistlestop 0427(Izzy). Her sixth fleece is growing in very nicely with loads of tiny crimp and good density and color. She is the dam of Blues & Jazz. This season she is being bred to Wintertime Fudge. The last time she was crossed with the Sandstone line she produced Ruby who has proven to be another wonderful productive ewe.

SOME OF THE 2009-2010 FLOCK

Winter Sky Tennyson is back up north and in a breeding pen through mid-November. His fleece has remained beautifully crimpy, consistent and fine with very little britch. His temperament is outstanding. He lost a horn this summer, but both horns were symmetrical and clear his head nicely. He does carry polled lines and has thrown clean-polled sons. His third fleece tested 25.4/4.8/18.9. We will be testing him again in February.

Tennyson with two Black Forrest daughters(NCWGA registered). Geneva is the black ewe and a half-sister--her first fleece tested 21.6/5.2/23.9. Kir Royale is a fawn gul/kat. Her second fleece tested 23.0/6.0/26.0. Both ewes have amazing lock structure, crimp and fineness to their fleeces with high luster. We are looking forward to seeing what Tennyson can do with them.

V Creek Princess Buttercup is four years old and being bred to Bug with a back-up to Bailleys. She is a Bartok daughter out of Greyling lines that go back to Winter Sky Linsey. She's fine-boned with a lovely, crimpy, consistent fleece although we'd like to see less britch on her. She'll be tested in February with the rest of the flock. Thanks to Maureen Koch for allowing her to come to the U.P.

Sheltrgpines Mustang Sally--Wintertime Blues X Sheltrgpines Salicional--is a lovely, if somewhat wild, dark blue-grey katmoget ewe lamb. Meghan is leasing her for the winter to cross with Bailleys. I am looking forward to spinning up her fleece. She'll be tested in February with the rest of our flock. Thanks Stephen for giving Meghan the opportunity to use this really nice ewe lamb.

Winter Sky Kismet--Willowcroft Jamie X Rarebriar Kiss Me Kate. Kismet is nine years old and I was going to stop breeding her, but she seems to be into the entire "lamb" thing, so I am going to cross her one final time with Bug. She has produced spotted lambs in the past and I don't think his fleece type will hurt her more intermediate fleece. Her second fleece tested 27.1/7.5/27.8. Her last fleece was 29 microns AFD.

Winter Sky Breathe--Winter Sky Sandstone X Winter Sky Ready to Run--is one of my NCWGA ewes. Her fleece tested 25.9/6.4/24.7 as a two year old and has turned a glorious fawn. She always outproduces herself, so we are hoping for a ewe lamb this spring. Tennyson has been known to produce spotted/polled lambs from the Sandstone lines.

Owl Hill Lady Grey is linebred on Enfield Greyling. Her fall lamb fleece tested 24.2/5.2/23.6, so she is being bred to Bug this fall.

Wintertime Chiffon--Firthoffifth Aman X Glenmore Crisp--is a coming two year old. She is being given a year off from breeding as she produced a lovely ewe lamb her first lambing and then put everything into the lamb and nothing into growing up. Her lamb fleece tested 22.4/5.2/23.3 and the second fleece is coming in with lovely sheen, crimp and lock structure. Bailleys wishes we would change our minds and spends much of his time giving her kisses through their mutual fence.

Wintertime Maple Sugar is a Wintertime Red Velvet daughter out of Chiffon. She will not be bred this first year as she as a later lamb. Instead she'll be keeping Wintertime Lizzie(a Firthoffifth Thayu X Whistlestop 0427 fawn ewe lamb)and Winter Sky Marakesh company.

Winter Sky Marakesh is my final daughter out of Winter Sky Calypso(who died unexpectedly out in the field late in June). She was born this color and has a completely amazing fleece under that coat. Her sire is Wintertime Black Forrest.

THE COLORED CORMO EWES

On the left is Aly--her fleece went GCH at Monterey last year. She is a four year old ewe bred to a large, black Cormo X ram named Mars. On the right is Ganache. Her sire is a registered white Cormo and her dam is a dark brown Cormo X ewe. She is just a year old with great depth and width already and an inquisitive personality. She is also hopefully bred to Mars. We are anticipating mid-winter lambs. Ganache's fleece is dark/dark brown and lustrous and dense and crimpy and soft from stem to stern.

Another shot of Ganache.

And last but not least is Raggedy Ann. BIS fleece down at Michigan Fiber Fest this summer and a coming two-year old. She may be due bred to Mars as early as January 8th.

Fleece samples from the girls. Raggedy's is on the left with a 16 micron test this spring. Aly's is upper right(she tested 21 microns at three years of age)and Ganache's lamb fleece is bottom right. We have one white ram lamb already reserved should we get one and a ewe lamb is reserved as well. We will have any ram lambs available for sale at weaning.

WINTERTIME BAILLEYS

Lil'Country Nightcap X Wintertime Ruby polled moorit 2009 ram lamb.

We really like this ram. He'll be used for back-up breeding on the ewes that are presently down at Stephen Rouse's farm being bred to Wintertime Fudge and Wintertime Black Forrest. He will be bred to Sheltrgpines Mustang Sally....Wintertime Blues X Sheltrgpines Salcional(a dark grey katmoget ewe lamb). Thanks Stephen for leasing her to Meghan.

SHELTRGPINES BUG

Fleece parted at last rib. Both shots.

Born in mid-May and than abandoned by his mother(for obvious reasons since he is definitely hyperactive)Bug was on a bottle for about three+ months. Unlike many bottle lambs, he has learned we have boundaries now that the bottle is gone and is a pretty decent ram to be around. He has short scurs(one of which broke off completely just this past week with minimal bleeding)and an amazing fleece. His sire is Wintertime Fudge and dam is Sheltrgpines Bengal. He'll be in a breeding pen soon with Owl Hill Lady Grey, V Creek Princess Buttercup and Wintersky Kismet.

MICRON TESTS FOR RAM LAMBS

Just got the fall test results for Wintertime Bailleys(polled moorit ram lamb out of Lil'Country Nightcap and Wintertime Ruby) and Sheltrgpines Bug(scurred spotted moorit ram lamb out of Wintertime Fudge and Sheltrgpines Bengal).

Bailleys--23.9 AFD, 4.7 SD, 19.7 CV and 7.8% fibers greater than 30.

Bug--20.8 AFD, 4.2 SD, 20.2 CV and 1.9% fibers greater than 30.