Tana 17 months - Brandings

This week was really busy. We branded Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and we are shy of halfway done. We had lots of help, and great ropers, so we were able to whip them out each morning in 2-3 hours. Our little yellow horse Cholla, has only had about 3 months worth of riding on her and has not been my favorite horse to be around. She's very spoiled and doesn't do much right. A college kid who works for us, Lane, has been riding her in the feedlot some and made huge leaps with her. He got her to stand tied without jerking back or pawing herself or others to death, and also got her to let you pick her feet up. JW started riding her everyday about 10 days ago and is doing awesome with her too. No one thus far has been able to trim her feet, even with sedatives, much less put shoes on her, JW had shoes on her within the first 2 hours he even spent with her. JW, wearing the rust colored chinks, is doing so well with her, she's a different horse these days. He drug tons of calves to the fire and she handled it so well, I'm so impressed. Laney and Tana both got to ride some at the branding on Wednesday with Gene and Kelly, and they loved every minute of it. Laney was telling Kelly that she was going to be able to ride without a lead rope on when she was 'this many old', and she held up 3 fingers. Kelly told Laney that she thought her Daddy said when she was this many that she'd be able to ride without a lead rope on, and held up 5 fingers. Laney responds back that Daddy probably will let her ride without a lead rope on when she's this many and held up 4 fingers...bartering is in her blood. Tana turned 17 months old on Thursday and adds more words everyday. She now is saying "puhpeee", "maybeee" and "happeee beebee". Laney rode Sis with no lead rope this week, twice...Sis ate grass, but it still counts.