Remi & Donk Come Home

The many months and miles of separation from the big boys have come to end and they are finally settling in to their new digs.  It took quite a feat to get their home ready.  Although we didn't build a barn from scratch this time, they still needed a stall constructed so they would have a dry and cozy place to camp.  And of course we had to fence in three pastures and the dogs yard which took a heck of a lot to do.

I know that many of you have been faithful in following the big galoot's adventures and we appreciate your visits to see if there have been any updates.  But since we weren't around them, there was nothing to report that was blog worthy until now....

Remi has successfully settled into his role as pasture ornament and seems quite happy being one.  Little does he know that exercise and remembering good manners are close at hand.  He developed quite an attitude since being away from us so long and wouldn't so much as come close for a familiar Remi nose kiss or neck scritchin'.  

For the first week, they both stayed right at the fence and stared at the trailer around the clock as if to say, when are we going home.  But now, they are used to their new surroundings and are quite happy to be here. They both love the front pasture and buck and run as soon as they are allowed access. 

We've been getting a lot of rain lately and for some reason, Remi has decided to stand out in a total downpour and get soaked to the bone.  Donk on the other hoof, stands in the doorway of the barn to stay a lot drier than his big buddy.  We haven't figured out why he won't go into the stall where there's plenty of hay and dry ground to enjoy.  Ah, but we will.

One of the projects we weren't able to get to was installing light in the barn.  That is on our list, but we aren't so willing to work with electricity in the wet monsoon season, so we're hot on the trail to get some battery operated light in the meantime.  Maybe a nightlight will entice the big doofus to stay indoors during a rainstorm.

One cuteness we have observed is Donk coming to the barn door with a lot of hay on his back.  Unfortunately he gets a lot dumped on him from the hay rack and has become a donkey table.  Remi will come to the doorway and start eating the hay off his back which is hysterically funny.  If we're ever able to snap a picture, I'll be sure to post.

Of course, Remi has created quite a stir in the neighborhood.  There are several horses in the area, and word has spread so fast that there is a ginormous horse here now, so we've seen many riders.  A couple of weeks ago, it was raining to beat the band and both Remi and Donk had their attention focused on the road.  Now, I need to tell you that we have many wild creatures in the area including Bear, so naturally we needed to check out the situation.

There in the pouring rain were two girls on their horses, getting soaked to the bone and just staring at Remi. They told us they were just enjoying the awe of such a huge and magnificent animal.  We invited them to come back when it wasn't so nasty out and they said they would be back for sure.  Apparently the whole horse community and non-horse community know he is now here.

So, we're sure there will be more visitors to come and once he gets out in the public eye again, I'm sure there will be even more.

I hope you've enjoyed the update.  We'll try to keep you posted more and share the further Adventures of Remington.  Thanks for sticking around.

Stay Tuned, Stay Happy and Stay With Us

Where's Remi?

Hello Remi Peeps. I bet you've been wondering if we've all been swept up by a ginormous twister and sent flying into the sunset somewhere :) Actually, we're still in the great Pacific Northwest and busy as all get out. A few things have changed since the last post and I truly apologize for the huge time lapse, but getting settled is no small task as you may well know.
I've found work and have been deeply involved in learning my new job. We found a house with acreage for Remi and Donk to come home soon and well, it's just been busy busy.
Remi and Donk have moved up to the mountain top to a new boarding stable. They've got huge paddock and gorgeous view of the Olympic mountains. The rainy and cold season is upon us and Donk is sporting a nice fur coat, while Remi is still a little slow in taking his off the horsie hanger :)
We don't get to see them much and miss them terribly. However, when we do get to visit, we're met with a big ole bellow, followed by several nickers. Donk greets us with his usual Hee Haw and they both are well aware that we are bringing them apple oaties to munch upon.
Everyone at the place is still in awe of Remi's size and when we had a Boarder's party on Labor Day, there was a steady stream of visitors to his and Donk's stall. Of course Remi towers above the other horses, but they don't seem to be intimidated by his size whatsoever. Nope, they were there first and stand their ground. Of course, it does help to have an electric fence in between, just in case :)
It's going to be a little while before we can get the boys on the new property. We're still waiting for a tidbit of remodeling to be completed before we can move in. And, of course there's a huge swing set sitting smack dab in the area we need to put up shelter for them, which needs to be sold. And, since the weather is not going to be real nice and dry, we've decided to leave them where they are until we can get a small barn put up for them. We want to make sure they've got shelter and and won't be out in the elements. They're being taken care of real well, so we're very happy about that.
We think they're going to like their new digs though. There's lots more room than they had at the ole ranchette in Texas and more trees for shade in the summertime. Once they're back with us, we'll be able to keep you posted more often. Until then, we'll try to share "Get Remi and Donk" home progress.
We wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Don't give up on us, because we're still here and there are more adventures to come, I promise!
Stay Tuned, Stay Happy, and Stay With Us!

Remi's New Home

Hello followers! Many apologies for the lack of posts lately. We were very busy getting our things in order for a big move. The Texas ranchette has been sold and we have relocated to beautiful Washington State.

Remi and Donk are happy in their new digs and everyone is awe of the big boy. It's been an adjustment to not look out and see him and his little buddy every morning, but in due time we will have another place to keep the both of them close to us.

Fortunately, they are only 20 minutes away from us and we can see them often. We are still getting settled in and soon I will be looking for work and a new home for all of us. It may be awhile, but we'll get there.

The stable owners were a little surprised the first morning after the boys arrived. Donk decided to greet the morning with his huge Hee Haw and they didn't know what it was. Remi on the other hand, has been quite busy sending pony grams to all the other horses in the paddocks nearby.

It's quite amusing to see them interact and of course Remi is the biggest dude on the block once again. We're looking forward to meeting more of the other people who board there and are quite happy that the boys have the best of care.

It will be a little harder to share Remi's antics since he's not so close, but I'm sure we'll have more to share in the coming months.

I hope some of you are still with us and we appreciate your patience.

Stay tuned, Stay happy and Stay with us!

Remi's New Year

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is now behind us and everyone here at the ranchette is still winding down from it. Remi and Donk are happily sauntering around the pasture and April, the horse we leased for the season, is now back home with her herd. We humans are still trying to recover from the long hard hours we endured during December, but our energy is slowly coming back.

Of course, Remi still tries to hide from us when we go down to the barn every day to tidy his room and refill the hay bags. He hasn't quite figured out that we're not going to lead him off to the big trailer and make him do more rides. It's pretty funny to watch him head off to the other end of the pasture and begin his infamous stare down. I just shake my head and giggle and move on to the chores at hand.

His curiosity eventually gets the best of him and he slowly begins his trek to the barn to see what we are up to and he manages to plant himself smack dab in the way of everything going on. Right behind him is Donk, who adds to the equine obstacle course and makes it that much harder to get things done quickly.

The day we took April back, we had to call them all into their stalls, which was the daily routine when one of the two had to go off to work. Remi didn't like this one bit and stood his ground out in the pasture. So, out came the feed can and after a little shake and rattle, he led the herd into their appropriate rooms.

As usual, he turned around in his stall and began his normal "I'm not going to make it easy for you to put my halter on" routine. Haha, big boy, you aren't going anywhere so turn around and tell April goodbye.

After trainer mom led April out of the paddock, I let Remi and Donk out and they zoomed over to the fence to stare at the trailer. Remi was bellowing and Donk was braying like crazy. After a solid month of not paying much attention to her, I think they had finally decided she wasn't so bad and seemed like they were going to miss her.

But, when we returned home, they both were acting like she was never there and were their usual thick as thieves best bud's selves. They are quite the pair. Kind of like the Laurel and Hardy of the equine world.

The forecast is calling for snow and we'll be interested to see how the two of them act in it. We've seen Remi in the snow, but not Donk, and I can only imagine what the two of them might do. I'm making sure we have the camera batteries charged so we can share a Remi and Donk snow moment with you all.

I hope that all of you had a joyous holiday season and that the new year brings you good things.

Happy New Year to you from all of us at the ole Ranchette.

Stay Tuned, Stay Happy and Stay With Us!

Tis The Season For 'Tude

We are now three weeks in to our holiday carriage rides and I can tell you that humans and equine alike are feeling it. Of course, we humans knew what we were in for, but the horses, being their care free, pasture ornament selves did not and are giving us an abundance of attitude.

Well howdy, let me tell you, they are letting us know right here and now that this is not acceptable to either of them. And, of course, the donkey, who's never worked a day in his life is following the lead of the other two and showing just as much attitude.

Let me tell you about the daily routine around the ole ranchette right now. I get up early in the morning, turn on the coffee pot, feed the dogs and cat, head to the barn, mix up a delicious breakfast for the horses and donkey, and head back to the house. Then, gulp down, a quarter cup of coffee, head back to the barn, hang the hay bags and let the three amigo's out.

Ok, all is well and good for awhile. They all hang out munching hay, wandering here and there and just being lazy...until...music please...dun, dun, dun.....screech, I'm baaaack!!! No sooner do I head toward the stalls, then they all zoom off to the other end of the pasture, shaking their heads and turning their backs to me. I guess they think, if they can't see me, I can't see them. Oh, so wrong you are pumpkins!

You would think they would have gotten the idea by now, that I'm just there to clean their rooms and that they would come up to me to see what treats I may have in store for them. But, nooooooooo, they are not having any part of that action. "Think we'll turn around and just stay here and stare at you for awhile". Ok, whatever, I don't care, I'm busy.

Once I have the stalls all nice and clean, and their water bowls filled, it's time to gather them up and put them in so whichever horse is going to work can be haltered and led off to the trailer. Shake and rattle a can of feed and all three came up in a heartbeat. Well, the first couple of days, that worked just fine. But now, all bets are off, they're on to my tricks and they want to just mess with me. Remi is the king of head shakes for sure. He'll prance around swinging that head from side to side and just glares at me.

The horse we've leased for the season has started doing the same thing. Oh my word, I hope she forgets about it by the time we take her back to her parents. Donk, on the other hand doesn't quite have the head shake down, so he lowers his head and bucks off into the distance. Maybe that's a good thing, but it's still attitude nonetheless.

The other day I shook that feed can so much, I felt like a bell ringer for the Salvation Army. None of them would come, Remi, just stood there and shook his head, Donk just stared at me, and the other horse took off running like a mare on steroids. Twenty minutes of coaxing, a tight schedule to keep and patience running thin, it was time to pull out the big guns. I grabbed alfalfa cubes, walked slowly up to Remi and let him smell them. Gotcha big boy, I'm am still the Barn Goddess.

That got his attention and he happily followed me back to his stall and was rewarded for his good behavior. Donk, being the Remi buddy he is, followed close behind and into his stall, where he happily enjoyed his carrot oatie. As far as the other horse goes, well that was another 20 minute chase back and forth throughout the pasture, but eventually she was coaxed into her room.

I swear Remi has a Roy Rogers and Trigger watch hidden under his feathers somewhere and secretly signals the others when it's time to start the ole head shake and attitude fest. I will find it, I swear, and when I do, I'm putting it up for sale on Ebay toot sweet.

I would say I would try to get up later to throw them off schedule, but Donk is very punctual with his loud braying at 7:15 every morning. What's a girl to do? Oh well, I guess it keeps me in shape and I do so look forward to January, when we can return to weekend work. Until then, the chase is on, the attitude continues and I am seriously thinking of asking Santa to clone me.

Stay Tuned, Stay Happy and Stay With Us! Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all and much "THANK YOUS" !!!

Its just after 2 AM. Remington is munching on alfalfa laced coastal hay. I would know because I just now came up from the final check and hay replacement for the night. Yes the big doofus, his donkey friend and our leased horse for the season get a late night{early AM hay check/replacement}. Somebody needs to take care of me that way and check to see if I need a late night desert. LOL

Really tho, I just wanted to tell all of you who have read here and those who have come to meet him that I wish you the best of all things in the coming year and thank you for all the comments and love for the big guy that helps keep us going.

I'll have some new stories for you soon but for now we are in the big holiday rush for carriage rides, so I just wanted to say much love to all, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Bunny--Trainer mom

Remi gives good Head Hugs

I tried to take a night off, but it doesn't work around here... Bet you all know about that at this time of year. The good thing is that Melissa has sent some photos. They were a little big, so I cropped them. Hopefully she will not mind. Here are 2 of the photos she has so graciously shared. We are so blessed to have this boy and to be able to share him with others to make this kind of smiles....