# Squishy



## csimkunas6

I should have made a journal for my first horse Rodeo on here! I did make a progress journal but wasnt on here, so I am making one for Squishy so I dont regret not making one on here again!

We moved from WV to MT a few weeks ago and began looking for a horse for my daughter as her horse had to be left behind in WV (extremely long story). I found a rescue 5hrs away from me and put an application in. They called all of my references and within 24hrs I was approved! Most of their current horses were 8+ and only halter broke, wasnt sure I was up for that so I asked if they had anything younger, I was sent photos of Squishy....he is approximately 6mo old and is a Pryor Mt Mustang Welsh Pony cross. My daughter saw photos of him and instantly fell in love.

My first horse Rodeo is now 8yrs old, I bought him at 8mo so am fairly confident in being able to get Squishy to where I want him to be over the years! 

More about Squishy....a herd of horses was surrendered by an elderly couple that could no longer care for their horses. Squishy, his mother and father we're kept together, Squishy was about 2wk old when the rescue got them. Squishy's father was gelded and adopted out, his mother is currently still at the rescue as she has severe arthritis in her knees and her feet were in such horrid condition, its appearing the effects are life-long. Squishy is estimated to reach 14-14.2hh. 

We pick up Squishy on Monday morning, Christmas Eve....will update everyone as we go! So very excited in (hopefully) making Squishy into a great children's mount in the future and if he's not cut out for a children's mount, I'd like to see if he has the potential as a cart pony of some sort, possibilities are endless really and Im incredibly excited to be working with a foal again and going thru the training process over the next several years!! Photos of course will be posted along the way! Here are some pics of Squishy, his mother Majesty, and his father Chrome!


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## egrogan

OMG that fuzzy little yak doesn't look anything like the little guy on the trailer (poor momma and her feet ). I guess he's ready for your Montana winters! Sire is very solid and handsome, and hope the mare is on the way to recovery with the rescue group. 

Training a foal seems so intimidating to me, I really admire those of you who can take a blank slate and bring a baby along to a responsible citizen. Thanks for inviting us along, and hope your daughter has a magical Christmas with her new friend :grin:


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## JoBlueQuarter

Wow, with gorgeous parents like that no wonder he's such a good looking fella! So glad you brought him home, and can't wait to follow y'alls journey with him


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## PoptartShop

Oh my gosh, what a fluffy cutiepie!!!!!! And his name is just adorable. 
Beautiful parents too. Thank you for making this journal, looking forward to your journey with him. A foal, how exciting!

Subbing!


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## AtokaGhosthorse

Subbing!


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## csimkunas6

Thanks all! Im pretty excited! My husband keeps joking around that when I get there to pick him up Monday morning Ill find out that he is actually 6yrs old and full grown! lol....Im just hoping he gets to be at least 14hh so I can hop on him and play around a bit once he's of age of course. Time will tell, and once I get him, Ill def try the fetlock to middle of the knee measurement again and it was fairly accurate with my gelding.

Not too much new, I removed the center divider on my trailer today so he'll have more room and have the entire trailer, and we temporarily built in one stall on our run in for him when he arrives. Plans are to have 3 stalls when its all said and done. But. we are not in a rush as they have open access to the run in so not a huge deal, but def wanted something for Mr. Squishy for when he arrives. 

Found another photo of him before he was weaned as well....they ended up having another mare that had a foal and due to the condition of her hooves, had to be euthanized so Squishy went to stay with the orphaned foal and thats where he currently is. From the sounds of it, he has the same amount of training Rodeo did when I bought him 8yrs ago, Squishy is halter trained, can lead, pick up feet, and stand to have his feet trimmed. So def have my work cut out for me! Not to mention he is still a colt, so will have to get him gelded as soon as he can be, getting excited!


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## greentree

I wish he would stay that color!! He is so precious!! The kids will LOVE him!


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## csimkunas6

greentree said:


> I wish he would stay that color!! He is so precious!! The kids will LOVE him!


They are beyond excited! I wish I has left the whole thing a surprise to them, as it would have been amazing to have seen their faces when we come back Monday morning with the little ******, but I couldnt keep my mouth shut  Oh well, theyll be ecstatic regardless!

Squishy had his brand inspection done yesterday, from my understanding its pretty much like a health certificate but you have to have one to cross county lines! His father, who was adopted out was. returned to the rescue last night, apparently the woman that rescued him attempted an at home gelding that didnt go well, they are working on assessing the physiological damages and physical injuries as we speak. Poor guy! Had some weight loss and unhealthy coat from what they could see last night. 

Hoping that Mr. Squishy calms Rodeo down a bit as well, although Rodeo has been alone in the past, leaving his main home that he's been at for 5/8years of his life, and his best buddy Ace, that was with him close to 2yrs has taken its toll. He hasnt loss an ounce of weight lol but I can def tell he's lonely which is completely understandable, the neighbors horses have helped quite a bit across the fence line but I know he'd love some actual companionship in the same pasture. So looking forward to that of course!

Back to Squishy, sorry, I get slightly side tracked lol. I'm hoping I have time to get some kind of Christmasy decoration to put on Squishy, and of course there will be photos! Probably too many but it'll be fun to look back! Im really excited to see how Squishy will mature, obviously now knowing who his parents are, and knowing what they look like helps but theres always a chance that his father isnt his father, ect, ect. I think it would be hilarious if he turned out to be some 16hh draft horse of some sorts, hopefully not as he is for my daughter but either way, really looking forward to it!


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## greentree

The rescue should have known better than to send a newly gelded horse to a home with a gelding.....I hope he has no serious injuries...I would LOVE to be able to add him to my team!! 

I cannot wait for pictures of him dressed up!


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## csimkunas6

greentree said:


> The rescue should have known better than to send a newly gelded horse to a home with a gelding.....I hope he has no serious injuries...I would LOVE to be able to add him to my team!!
> 
> I cannot wait for pictures of him dressed up!


Sorry, didnt explain well....they sent off a 4yr old stud (Squishy's father) to a home, supposedly she was a TIP Mustang trainer, and had excellent references, of course they have a contract stating all studs must be gelded within 90days of adoption, apparently this was the first, and now the last, stud they will adopt out. Supposedly the woman that adopted him tried an "at home gelding" and it didnt go well. All the details I know, of course there are always 2 sides to the story


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## JoBlueQuarter

^^Wow... hope the stud will be ok. Is he gelded now though or just, like, partly done?


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## csimkunas6

JoBlueQuarter said:


> ^^Wow... hope the stud will be ok. Is he gelded now though or just, like, partly done?


The rescue actually just got him back, according to their facebook page, late last night. From what the woman that attempted to geld him told her was that no testicles were found when they went to cut him lol. Waiting for an update like a crazy person now lol. I do know they are wanting to get the vet out and have him correctly gelded asap so Im assuming the woman that tried gelding him failed lol


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## JoBlueQuarter

csimkunas6 said:


> The rescue actually just got him back, according to their facebook page, late last night. From what the woman that attempted to geld him told her was that no testicles were found when they went to cut him lol. Waiting for an update like a crazy person now lol. I do know they are wanting to get the vet out and have him correctly gelded asap so Im assuming the woman that tried gelding him failed lol


So... did she actually start cutting him? Cause if that's the case, he must be in some pain rn


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## csimkunas6

JoBlueQuarter said:


> So... did she actually start cutting him? Cause if that's the case, he must be in some pain rn


According to the woman that tried cutting him, no....they did a quick check last night, and reported he seemed still intact and appeared fine in that area, just said on first appearance had some weight loss, poor coat/skin condition, and lack of winter coat. They were supposed to do a full assessment this morning, but havent seen any updates yet.


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## greentree

csimkunas6 said:


> Sorry, didnt explain well....they sent off a 4yr old stud (Squishy's father) to a home, supposedly she was a TIP Mustang trainer, and had excellent references, of course they have a contract stating all studs must be gelded within 90days of adoption, apparently this was the first, and now the last, stud they will adopt out. Supposedly the woman that adopted him tried an "at home gelding" and it didnt go well. All the details I know, of course there are always 2 sides to the story


OMG!! What were they thinking?? Sorry, but a VET should be doing the gelding!! I hope he is OK, I LOVE him!,


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## csimkunas6

greentree said:


> OMG!! What were they thinking?? Sorry, but a VET should be doing the gelding!! I hope he is OK, I LOVE him!,


Not sure, thats what the rescue was wondering. The woman that adopted him sent the founder of the rescue messages, and the rescue screen shotted them and posted them, from what they said, she had bute, tumeric, and banamine to give him, wrestled him to the ground with a few others, started to start looking for his testicals, they couldnt find any supposedly so let him up, a lot of psychological trauma from what they noticed last night, and terrified of men. He is stunning, and I'd love to adopt him but not ready for a third, although we are planning on getting a third, Im not ready at the moment, and def not ready for another unbroke, practically unhandled just gelded stud at the moment lol


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## ManicDaisy

Oh my gosh, so cute!!!!!


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## ManicDaisy

csimkunas6 said:


> I found a rescue 5hrs away from me and put an application in. They called all of my references and within 24hrs I was approved!


This bit helped me understand why everyone is flummoxed by my horse lease set ups in Kauai.

Application?

References??

Here all you need to do is seem mentally stable and be willing to cover costs. It just occurred to me that neither person I’vce leased horses from even knows my address. Much less took my driver’s license number. 0.o

Granted, I don’t *think* too many people here would be dumb enough to try a home gelding.

though...you never know!


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## csimkunas6

ManicDaisy said:


> This bit helped me understand why everyone is flummoxed by my horse lease set ups in Kauai.
> 
> Application?
> 
> References??
> 
> Here all you need to do is seem mentally stable and be willing to cover costs. It just occurred to me that neither person I’vce leased horses from even knows my address. Much less took my driver’s license number. 0.o
> 
> Granted, I don’t *think* too many people here would be dumb enough to try a home gelding.
> 
> though...you never know!


Well, its a rescue so they get a bit more picky as to where their horses go. When I purchased my gelding, my first 8yrs ago, and my second 2yrs ago, we didnt need a thing besides cash in hand, so anyone I guess can buy a horse if you have the cash, usually rescues are a bit different which is why the references, and application process come in


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## lostastirrup

Out of curiosity- what part of MT did you end up in? I'm up in Butte. 

Cutest pony btw


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## csimkunas6

lostastirrup said:


> Out of curiosity- what part of MT did you end up in? I'm up in Butte.
> 
> Cutest pony btw


Ended up in Forsyth....125mi or so east of Billings


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## lostastirrup

Been through there working this summer, eastern Montana is awesomr for rock hounding. Enjoy!


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## csimkunas6

*Squishy is here!*

Left at 4am and didnt get back til 4pm, was an exhausting day but Squishy is home! More info...he was born July 3rd 2018, weaned from momma due to health reasons Dec 18th 2018. Will get more pics tomorrow in the light, of course Rodeo is dying to check him out more. I have him in a nice big 12x12 stall for the night until he settles in a bit. He is beyond fluffy! Never seen so much hair on a horse in my life lol. Saw both mom and dad, will def be smaller sized, 13hh-14hh give or take. Trailered like a pro! Merry Christmas Eve to everyone!


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## greentree

So much preciousness!!!


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## csimkunas6

greentree said:


> So much preciousness!!!


Hehe! Hes so FLUFFY!!!! Hes like a giant cottonball! I didnt have a halter small enough for him so they gave me one for him lol...hes incredibly sweet as well!!


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## csimkunas6

Well first night and the little s**t escaped his stall.....went to check on his water and see how he did through his first night and he was missing, of course it was dark so I was walking around with a flashlight checking 20acres for him, even went and checked the neighbors property as well, get back to my property and here comes a flash of white strolling along , id say he was watching me the entire time, he blended right in since it ended up snowing this morning.

Rodeo is not a huge fan at the moment but he's adjusting, they were actually eating hay near each other late this morning so making progress. Im giving the vet a call tomorrow to check for pricing on gelding once he's ready but other than that, hes doing rather well!


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## QtrBel

Pony camo.... Cute, cute, cute!!! Your little girl looks so happy!


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## ManicDaisy

csimkunas6 said:


> left at 4am and didnt get back til 4pm, was an exhausting day but squishy is home! More info...he was born july 3rd 2018, weaned from momma due to health reasons dec 18th 2018. Will get more pics tomorrow in the light, of course rodeo is dying to check him out more. I have him in a nice big 12x12 stall for the night until he settles in a bit. He is beyond fluffy! Never seen so much hair on a horse in my life lol. Saw both mom and dad, will def be smaller sized, 13hh-14hh give or take. Trailered like a pro! Merry christmas eve to everyone!


oh my god im dying of cuteness!!!!!


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## SummerBliss

Your colt is so adorable! I look forward to seeing your progress with him  
I'm currently raising/training a young filly myself as well (she's 8 months old) so it's awesome to see another journal about a young horse^^


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## csimkunas6

Thanks all! My daughter, Kaleigh, absolutely loves him. Rodeo and Squishy made some great progress today! They were at completely opposite sides of the pasture for majority of the day, we went to check on Squishy again before nightfall, he drank a good bit of water, and let us play with him a bit. We walked back up to the house, and Rodeo galloped down to Squishy, next thing I know, both of them are walking side by side back up into the front. Yay! So much better than Rodeo chasing him off this morning!

SummerBliss, do you have a journal? This will be my second colt starting, although Mr. Squishy is 2-3mo younger than when I first bought Rodeo....its so much fun! I love it! Complete blank slate!


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## SummerBliss

csimkunas6 said:


> SummerBliss, do you have a journal? This will be my second colt starting, although Mr. Squishy is 2-3mo younger than when I first bought Rodeo....its so much fun! I love it! Complete blank slate!


It definitely is a lot of fun working with such young horses and being able to be the ones to give them the best start in life possible! And it sounds like you'll quite well everything to do already if you've gone through the process once already. 
And I do have a journal, I'll add a link to it in case you want to check it out. It's the first time I've ever had a horse this young before and they're definitely a blast to work and play with lol.
https://www.horseforum.com/member-journals/new-adventure-begins-795883/

PS, love the name Mr. Squishy xD


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## csimkunas6

SummerBliss said:


> It definitely is a lot of fun working with such young horses and being able to be the ones to give them the best start in life possible! And it sounds like you'll quite well everything to do already if you've gone through the process once already.
> And I do have a journal, I'll add a link to it in case you want to check it out. It's the first time I've ever had a horse this young before and they're definitely a blast to work and play with lol.
> https://www.horseforum.com/member-journals/new-adventure-begins-795883/
> 
> PS, love the name Mr. Squishy xD


Awesome!! Ill check it out! You'll have a blast, and time flies more than you think possible, lol, my first foal just turned 8! And thank you! The rescue named him, my kids loved it, and once I saw him in person, knew it was the perfect fit haha


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## SummerBliss

csimkunas6 said:


> Awesome!! Ill check it out! You'll have a blast, and time flies more than you think possible, lol, my first foal just turned 8! And thank you! The rescue named him, my kids loved it, and once I saw him in person, knew it was the perfect fit haha


Lol, ya, I'm already discovering how quickly time goes by. I got her at 6 months old and now she's nearly 9 months xD Only a few more to go and then she'll be a year. 
And it's great when you can find a name to fit them so quickly. Took me a week to come up with the name Ren for my girl lol


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## JoBlueQuarter

Love those pics of Rodeo and Squishy together. I just love the both of em <3


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## csimkunas6

Im super excited , Rodeo and Squishy are already great friends! The rescue said Squishy wasnt real independent, and was a follower and attached himself to anything and everything he was turned out with, although after they weaned him they had him with a mini donkey and a foal just a bit younger than him, I figured he would attach himself to Rodeo, and sure enough he has! Yesterday Rodeo was chasing him off, last night Rodeo was content with Squishy following him but would still pin ears a bit, this morning they are eating hay side by side, ate grain next to eachother....and no ears pinned, just two happy ponies! I even worked with Squishy a bit and picked all his feet up and picked out the snow and ice, his feet are so itty bitty!!

The rescue had already worked with him with his feet but I def want to make sure he continues to be good with his feet as he grows. Also have to give the vet a call and find out the price of a gelding procedure so I have an idea and its not a shock when it comes up lol.


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## csimkunas6

Had to walk down to the very end of the pasture to get Rodeo and Squishy. Of course the high for today is about 20 F so I brought them up to the garage since thats where I have all my grooming supplies, halters ect. Ice and snow is packed into Rodeo and Squishy's hooves, so Ive been picking them out several times a day, pain in the butt for really beneficial for Mr Squishy getting better and better with me messing with his feet....I haltered Rodeo and brought him up and of course Squishy followed, Rodeo eats less and much faster so Im going to have to start feeding one in the stall and one out or just do what I did today and have Rodeo haltered, worked well and being in the garage, I was able to stay out of the weather, as its snowing on top of the chilly temps.

I haltered Squishy after I let Rodeo go, he is adjusting really well and starting to come out of his shell quite a bit, hes a friendly little guy for sure! Im dying to know what he looks like under all this fluff of hair he has! I did the string test as well, I think you measure from center of the knee to the top of the hoof, if its accurate, and if I did it right, Squishy will get to about 12.2hh. Def off from the 14-14.2 the rescue was estimating, but no biggie really. My daughter will just be the one to put his first rides on him, so no biggie, as by that time she'll be a minimum of 6! And with the amount of ground work I end up doing, it should be rather uneventful once he is old enough for his first rides....anyways, got some pics today! Got a good 5" of snow yesterday, and hasnt stopped since this morning so should be getting some more haha.....enjoy the pics! Our barn kitty Pasta, lol, joined in on the shenanigans this morning lol


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## knightrider

He is so so cute! Don't you just love foal lips! Looks like he has on lipstick.


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## csimkunas6

knightrider said:


> He is so so cute! Don't you just love foal lips! Looks like he has on lipstick.


Hehe....hes pretty adorable, his size is throwing me off, hes a sneaky little guy too, cant find him and next thing i know he's behind me lol


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## csimkunas6

No pictures today, Rodeo and Squishy continue to do really well together. Despite the 6" of snow on the ground and the round bale they have available under their run in, they prefer to dig thru the snow and graze. Neighbors dont have any hay out yet what so ever, so really interesting seeing how the horses graze despite the snow, if we were in WV there would be no grazing available snow or no snow, so pretty neat! 

Anyways, went down to get Rodeo and Squishy, only had Rodeo's halter and Squishy came right over, so will probably bring out Squishy's halter tomorrow as well and see how leading both of them goes. Just worked on the same stuff, picking up his feet, messing with every little inch of him, double checked he wasnt dropped, no umbilical hernia, ect, ect. Basically things the rescue told me that I just took their word for, BAD, BAD, BAD on me, I know, but there was so much going on these things didnt even cross my mind. Must be getting old! Anyways, brushed him down today, he wasnt a fan haha, ended up rolling in the snow right when I finished. But thats okay, I was able to do more than yesterday, so thats a plus. My goal is by the time its warmer in the spring to where the kids can come outside for more than 30sec, Squishy will be well enough behaved that Kaleigh can do the simple things, brushing and at least haltering him. Would be even better if he was good enough they could pick his feet but that might be stretching it, although them being able to do majority of grooming with a colt under 12mo might be stretching it haha but I have hope!

After they finished their grain they ran off together bucking and playing so they're def having fun!


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## csimkunas6

Was planning on hopping on Rodeo and riding around the fence line a little bit this afternoon, had warmer temps but the wind was wicked! Ended up just playing with a lead rope and dressage whip with Rodeo and Squishy. Squishy has been teaching Rodeo a great deal of patience, which is always good. Squishy again, gets a bit more grain than Rodeo and eats quite a bit slower than Rodeo, so I just throw the halter on Rodeo, and once he's done we just do little exercises, which is why we worked with the lead rope and dressage whip lol. Squishy def isnt a fan of either, so I will be working with him more on that later this week. 

He's amazing with picking up his feet! Sometimes he wants his foot back a few seconds before Im ready to give it back to him but overall hes super! Dont think thats something I need to necessarily work extensively on everyday, but its def something Ill continue working with everyday! He's incredibly friendly though, if I even start walking Rodeo away to do anything, Squishy follows right there behind to see what we're getting into. I took Rodeo down the 4 stairs in front of the house, theres actually 2 sets of steps but the one are super nice, sturdy, and wide, of course Squishy ran around them lol. I need to get a video of his adorable canter/lope. Its so cute its ridiculous! Weather is supposed to be super duper cold the next two days, but close to 50 F on Thursday! Hoping to play with Squishy and get some pics!


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## QtrBel

I love. love. love that first pic. It is nice enough to blowup and put on a canvas and hang on the wall.


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## csimkunas6

QtrBel said:


> I love. love. love that first pic. It is nice enough to blowup and put on a canvas and hang on the wall.


Thanks! He's quite the photogenic little thing lol


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## csimkunas6

Yesterday was in the 40s when I woke up, by the time my husband got home from work at 3pm, it was in the low 30s and raining, so didnt do anything with Squishy besides having my hands on him. Today wasnt much better, my husband has a set schedule, he works 5-3 four days a week, so I have the kids all day, once he gets home I feed the ponies, play with them ect, when he's off, Im able to sneak out of the house in the morning. Today def wasnt the day to want to sneak out LOL.....5 F with a real feel of -12 F. Rodeo and Squishy were both up under the run in with their round bale, so that was a huge relief. Theyre actually smart enough to stay out of the weather lol. I just went to check on them, figured Id feed them later, NOPE, Squishy followed me back to the house, and Rodeo followed lol. I ended up feeding them in the garage. I snuck back inside, and got these pics from inside, so not the best as they are through the sliding door but they're cute. Happy New Year! Hope everyone stays warm!


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## csimkunas6

Couldnt stand to be stuck inside again today, it looked gorgeous outside so I put on about 3 layers of clothes and braved the weather! 20 F with a real feel of 8F but it was nice to be up in the saddle again! Squishy did just as I figured and followed along!

He was afraid of the saddle pad and saddle as I was tacking up Rodeo which was no surprise, after I was done riding, I hopped off, haltered Squishy and played with him for a bit. Picked up all of his feet, disengaged his hindquarters both ways, backed up, lowered his head to pressure, swung the rope around him, had the lead rope all over him, nothing, was awesome! Just stood there like a pro! Ended up having a saddle pad on him, which took up his whole body pretty much haha but he was great! Short, quick sessions, but he's super smart and willing! Pics below!


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## csimkunas6

Ignore my horrible riding....I havent ridden in a few


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## ACinATX

I'm sure I've said it already, but I just love that little guy. And his shaggy coat is so appropriate for the weather!


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## csimkunas6

ACinATX said:


> I'm sure I've said it already, but I just love that little guy. And his shaggy coat is so appropriate for the weather!


Thank you! So do we! He's super friendly and will follow all over the place to see what we're getting into lol. Im so glad he has his coat! Makes me worry a million times less lol but I cant wait to see how he looks when he sheds out come spring!


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## egrogan

csimkunas6 said:


> Pics below!


 Oh geez, that first picture of them nose-to-nose, could there be anything sweeter?! :loveshower:

Rodeo getting all serious with him, saying _Alright my funny little marshmallow, we are going to go for a stroll with the food lady, and I want you to just stick close and watch how I do it so we take good care of her..._


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## csimkunas6

egrogan said:


> Oh geez, that first picture of them nose-to-nose, could there be anything sweeter?! :loveshower:
> 
> 
> Rodeo getting all serious with him, saying _Alright my funny little marshmallow, we are going to go for a stroll with the food lady, and I want you to just stick close and watch how I do it so we take good care of her..._


I love that pic!!! I was worried how Rodeo would be while I was riding towards Squishy, as he's been fairly aggressive to horses in the past, even his herd mates, ect. So was def a pleasant surprise to see him acting nice 

And yes!! Haha, thats probably exactly what he was saying! Hehehe :rofl:


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## Captain Evil

This thread is too much fun! Squishy is gorgeous! But now I want Mama... so does Boojum. I can't even look at the picture of your daughter and Squishy together. It is just too sweet!


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## csimkunas6

Captain Evil said:


> This thread is too much fun! Squishy is gorgeous! But now I want Mama... so does Boojum. I can't even look at the picture of your daughter and Squishy together. It is just too sweet!


Thank you! He is quite the character! Momma is sweet as can be just very nervous and shy, still undergoing evaluations, glad I was able to see her in person! She's quite the pretty little mare!


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## PoptartShop

Gosh he is such a cute little guy, and so fluffy! OMG. I love the pictures. Glad everything is going so well. Such a cutie, I just wanna squeeze him LOL!

So cute the pictures of him & Rodeo, especially the first one when he is behind. Gah, so adorable!!


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## csimkunas6

PoptartShop said:


> Gosh he is such a cute little guy, and so fluffy! OMG. I love the pictures. Glad everything is going so well. Such a cutie, I just wanna squeeze him LOL!
> 
> So cute the pictures of him & Rodeo, especially the first one when he is behind. Gah, so adorable!!


Thanks! He's super fluffy! And incredibly soft! 

Didnt do too much with him today, just checked to make sure he hasnt started to become a man yet lol. I called the vet today, $110 for a gelding, granted he's not a cryptochid so fingers crossed he isnt! Getting to visit the vet tomorrow and check it out, not for anything good, time for our 6yr old pitbull to be put to sleep sadly. She had ivermectin poisoning after I wormed Rodeo, and she ate his manure almost 4yrs ago, had some pretty bad seizures, thought we were going to lose her but she pushed through it and came out fine, or so we thought, a year later she had vertigo, was only for a few months and she was fine after that, we moved to MT 5 weeks ago or so now, and shes losing weight like crazy, cant stop using the bathroom in the house, shes still pretty active but at this point, shes getting 10 cups of food a day and losing weight faster than I can put it on her, we've been talking about having her pts for a while now, but we came to the decision this morning that it is time, we're going to give her a good meal tonight and things like that but we feel its the best for her.


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## csimkunas6

It was warmer today! Close to 50 F! The wind was pretty bad but the kids have been dying to go outside and see Squishy, so we went out lol. Squishy was wide eyed and staring at the kids as if they were some sort of monster, he was a little stand offish at first but since Rodeo was sucking up all the attention, he must have figured he'd survive the little monsters as well. He was awesome! Loved every second the kids gave him, and of course they loved it, gave him hugs and kisses....super cute, but since my husband is at work and I was worried about my kids being too obnoxious for him, of course I didnt bring the camera  About time to start having my daughter come out with me and play with him a bit, she's dying to "train" him haha

Have an appointment for Ms Bailey at 4pm today, Ive been so back and fourth if its actually the right time or not for her but when I woke up this morning, she had used the bathroom in the crate, again, and it was pretty bloody and she just didnt look like she felt real awesome. I called my vet from NC who had seen her after her seizures a few years back and picked their brain for a few minutes, told them all her symptoms, weight loss, trouble swallowing, vertigo, loss of balance, seizures have been coming back, diarrhea, and she said sounds like a pretty good case of brain tumor/cancer. Of course to know for sure I could get testing done, chemo and radiation would be the treatment, I just dont think she's up for it and we def cant afford it sadly. As sad as we are, we are just happy to get her out of being in pain!


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## Walkamile

So sorry about your Ms Bailey. Never easy, even when we know it is the right/best thing to do for them.
Have to say how much I enjoy this thread! Squishy is like a real come to life stuffed animal! Will be checking in for developments and lots and lots of pictures!


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## csimkunas6

Walkamile said:


> So sorry about your Ms Bailey. Never easy, even when we know it is the right/best thing to do for them.
> Have to say how much I enjoy this thread! Squishy is like a real come to life stuffed animal! Will be checking in for developments and lots and lots of pictures!


Thank you! Of course it was even more difficult when she was happy as can be when we got to the vets, made me rethink my decision a bit but I truly know if was the right decision for her, she was always on the heavier side, so when she started losing weight so drastically, I knew it was serious 

That is an awesome way to describe him! He really is like a stuffed animal! And yes, there will probably be more photos than anyone wants to see but I can say after I made Rodeo's, i have looked back quite often and find it a lot of fun to read back, so much that Ive forgotten about!


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## AnitaAnne

Following along...Mr. Squishy is adorable! Can't wait to see what the little guy looks like under all that hair! Reminds me of an angora rabbit :rofl: 

The picture with your DD is just precious, brought tears to my eyes 

So sorry about your poor Ms. Bailey, she was suffering but still so hard to let go :hug:


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## csimkunas6

AnitaAnne said:


> Following along...Mr. Squishy is adorable! Can't wait to see what the little guy looks like under all that hair! Reminds me of an angora rabbit :rofl:
> 
> The picture with your DD is just precious, brought tears to my eyes
> 
> So sorry about your poor Ms. Bailey, she was suffering but still so hard to let go :hug:


Thank you! Same! Very good description! I keep trying to think of another horse Ive seen with as much hair as him and cannot think of any! And thank you! Was def harder than I thought, she was always quite attached to my husband, but it was quite difficult! I dont regret it, but very strange only having 1 dog as I havent had just a single dog since I cant even remember!


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## PoptartShop

Aww, that's so cute! Happy to hear he was good with the kiddos, I'm sure he was happy to be around people around his size! :lol: I'm sure your daughter will love that! What a good boy he is!

I have to say too, he really does look like a stuffed animal. He is just so darn cute and fluffy.

I'm so sorry about Ms. Bailey. :sad: Cancer is horrible and we had to put our dog down because of it. It's never easy to do, but she will no longer be in pain. :hug: Hugs to you.


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## csimkunas6

Walked down to see Rodeo and Squishy with the kids, Squishy was much less afraid compared to yesterday. As much as it sucks having the kids with me at times (around the horses), I think its really good for them to be around Squishy as much as possible. I brought the camera down with me! Yay! I wasnt planning on doing anything with Squishy today but my husband ended up getting home while we were outside so I ended up playing with him quite a bit. My daughter wanted to help as well as my son, so basically had hands all over him and kids around every where. My daughter brushed him and generally just spent time around him, my son is pretty clumsy so it was a really good day for desensitizing Squishy to the kids. 

While my daughter was brushing him, my son was holding the lead rope, and i was picking up all his feet, messing with his ears, eyes, mouth, nose, belly, legs, tail, lol, literally every spot on the poor guy has been touched Haha....this was good though, as I made him stand still in one spot the whole time so he did really well with that, overall a good day. Just need to lead up to where my daughter is doing more things with him but itll come with time! Little guy has only been here for 2 weeks or so


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## csimkunas6

Forgot to post yesterday, my daughter was dying to play with Squishy yesterday. Of course the weather was perfect, but I had a major headache, shortly after my husband got home from work it went away, and I snuck out to check on Squishy and Rodeo. It had cooled off and was getting dark so Kaleigh (my daughter) didnt get a chance to do anything with Squishy. I just went out, haltered Rodeo and played with him a bit while Squishy ate the rest of his grain. The rescue said he was a bit thinner than they liked, which was another reason they pulled him off momma, he was depleting her of what she needed, and he wasnt getting enough of what he needed, well Rodeo def doesnt need much lol. Usually I just give him a handful or two, but if Im not out there, he'll try to eat all Squishy's as well.

Anyways, so just played with Rodeo, I ended up going and messing with Squishy's legs, and belly. He's not a fan of his belly being messed with a whole lot, and although he's good with picking his legs up, I want to mess with his legs so he doesnt think he needs to pick up his feet everytime I touch his legs, also had the rope all over him. Overall he did really well. Def need some more time with the kids running around like psychos so he can get used to that more, which will take time, and I also think its about time to break out some obstacles so to speak, tarps, poles, baby stroller, bikes, 4-wheelers, law mowers ect so he can start to see everything. Luckily Rodeo is pretty bombproof with random things so thatll def be helping!

We're planning on going to Billings on Tuesday, Im super excited as we havent had a chance to really go anywhere, and the one time I went to Billings it was dark so I wasnt able to see much lol. They have a pretty neat store, I guess like Rural King back in WV but looks a bit more awesome so Im looking forward to that. I need to pick up a salt block, and maybe a few more bags of grain due to the fact that there are no close feed stores around and this will be pretty much one of the closest. We'll probably check out a few more places, they have a mall that stretches out over 14 sq mi, so that counds ginormous to us lol. I dont think the mall in Myrtle Beach is that big so thatll be kinda neat. Even though I grew up (for 7years) in New Jersey, I dont remember too much from there besides the shore, which we went to every year.

Anyways now that Ive rambled about nothing, hoping to get some time in with Rodeo and Squishy the next several days, my husband is off for the next 3 days and weather is supposed to be nice. So fingers crossed!


----------



## csimkunas6

A bit windy and a little bit chillier today but Kaleigh was driving me insane about "training" Squishy. We walked down to where the horses were in the pasture, and I had Rodeo's halter ready as he is usually the first one to greet me, but Squishy came right up and beat Rodeo to it! Stood like a champ for the halter, waited patiently as I haltered Rodeo and off we went, Kaleigh walking Squishy up, I had a hold of his rope, and myself walking Rodeo up. Both behaved very well.

I tied Rodeo to the trailer and let Kaleigh, and again myself holding, walk Squishy away to the water trough, he had a few bursts of forward momentum but overall did really well. Walked him back, he did much better of course, had him stand next to Rodeo, Kaleigh brushed him a bit and then she was ready to go play, so off she went. My husband had my youngest in the baby stroller and I figured that would be a great little training session! So he pushed the stroller around a bit, Squishy hid behind me for the most part. After that, the kids went in, I took halters off and fed grain.

Brought the now empty stroller out and literally did laps around Squishy as he ate. He did very well, had a few little spooks but warmed up to it quickly! I go back and fourth on how much to have the kids involved with everything. I know without them, Ill progress even faster with Squishy, but I truly feel like they should be around as much as possible, and whats the rush?! Not like he's going to be ready to ride anytime soon haha. Just taking it day by day


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## PoptartShop

Yeah, he will get better in time. That sounds good, getting him used to things like noise, objects, etc. I think that sounds like a good plan. And Rodeo will also help give him the confidence he needs. 

So happy they both behaved, and Squishy is really coming around! At first he was probably like Mom, what is that?! Hide me, hide me! :lol: Getting him used to it is awesome, so glad he did well even while he was eating & you were pushing it around him. Aw! And I agree, what is the rush? Day by day is the best way to do it. Really happy with the progress you guys are making!


That sounds fun, I hope you have a good time at the mall!


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## csimkunas6

Not too much new....went to Billings yesterday after we picked up my daughter from school....was a 2hr drive to get there, with 3 kids under the age of 5, it was a trying and exhausting trip! LOL needless to say, didnt get to do what we were wanting, so will have to wait until my mom is home from work to take another trip there.....today we went to a smaller, but closer city, was easy to find everything and everything was super close so we actually got to check out more places and it was somewhat enjoyable, again 3 kids below age 5 is tough being in a car for an extended period of time and getting out haha

Anyways, took some pics of Rodeo and Squishy, weather was pretty nice despite being a bit chillier today, have to work on Rodeo's one foot tomorrow, pretty much just had my hands all over Squishy today, besides that PICS!


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## PoptartShop

Oh yeah, that'll do it, I'm sure that is super exhausting! Glad you got to check out more places.

YAYY!!!!!!! I've been dying for more pictures! Rodeo is so handsome too. 
Love the last picture, what a beautiful shot.

Squishy is seriously like a big fluffy stuffed animal, I just wanna squeeze him!!! LOL. So cute!!!


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## csimkunas6

Thank you Poptart! 

My daughter was dying to train Squishy again today, what she considers training is taking Squishy on walks and occasionally jogging lol. I haltered Squishy while he was eating and had her hold him, I knew she wouldnt be able to just stand there so thought it would be a great training moment for the both of them! My son was running around, my daughter was making sure Squishy didnt get tangled up in his lead rope, Squishy did great! 

After he was done, I had my daughter lead him around a bit. They both did really well, Kaleigh is always going a million miles an hour so I had to keep reminding her to stay off to the side, yes I know she should be on the left side but at the main goal for Squishy, I feel as that he needs to get used to everything on both sides of him, but they did good. He stopped when she stopped and followed her willingly. That was pretty much the extent of today lol. Just getting him used to my crazy kids!


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## Walkamile

Oh my gosh too cute! Like that he was a little gentleman with your daughter. Kids are the best thing for horses/ponies! Their unpredictability and energy certainly help desensitize our four legged friends!


Misty was very nervous with my grandchildren. She was never allowed to have children near her as the lady that was free leasing her was nervous with her herself. With careful interaction (under my supervision), Misty has come to enjoy being around the kids. She is the best at leading and listening on the ground with them. She's still a bit too quick to respond to cues in the saddle for the kids yet, but she is something for them to work towards.


Thanks for posting the pics! Thoroughly enjoyed them all!


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## csimkunas6

Walkamile said:


> Oh my gosh too cute! Like that he was a little gentleman with your daughter. Kids are the best thing for horses/ponies! Their unpredictability and energy certainly help desensitize our four legged friends!
> 
> 
> Misty was very nervous with my grandchildren. She was never allowed to have children near her as the lady that was free leasing her was nervous with her herself. With careful interaction (under my supervision), Misty has come to enjoy being around the kids. She is the best at leading and listening on the ground with them. She's still a bit too quick to respond to cues in the saddle for the kids yet, but she is something for them to work towards.
> 
> 
> Thanks for posting the pics! Thoroughly enjoyed them all!


So true! They always have so much going on! Squishy was a lot more relaxed and calm with them around today so making progress! He still needs some work with leading as far as my kids leading him but did really well for the first time!

Thats great about Misty! Im sure she'll get there with time!


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## PoptartShop

That is soooo cute.  Squishy is so good with the kiddos, and I agree it's best to get him accustomed to her walking on both sides, why not?! The kids have a lot of energy, so the more he is around him the better. Such a good boy. I think it's great you are letting them help with him.

Good desensitizing!!! I love the picture of him & Romeo grazing. So adorable. I can't take his cuteness...OMG!!!!!!!! I'm at work going nuts over his cuteness lol. :rofl: So fluffy.


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## egrogan

Your daughter looks so proud in that first picture! So glad Squishy has found his girl :grin:


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## SilverMaple

He is quite possibly the cutest little fuzz muffin I've ever seen....


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## csimkunas6

PoptartShop said:


> That is soooo cute.  Squishy is so good with the kiddos, and I agree it's best to get him accustomed to her walking on both sides, why not?! The kids have a lot of energy, so the more he is around him the better. Such a good boy. I think it's great you are letting them help with him.
> 
> Good desensitizing!!! I love the picture of him & Romeo grazing. So adorable. I can't take his cuteness...OMG!!!!!!!! I'm at work going nuts over his cuteness lol. :rofl: So fluffy.


Thanks! Its quite the challenge working with him with the kids running around but its been working out well and I think its beneficial to them all! Haha hes insanely fluffy! Im always messing with him because hes such a fluff ball! lol



egrogan said:


> Your daughter looks so proud in that first picture! So glad Squishy has found his girl :grin:


She is! She loves Squishy! LOL....she's quite fond of the little fluff!



SilverMaple said:


> He is quite possibly the cutest little fuzz muffin I've ever seen....


LOL! Thank you! I just about die when he goes into this cute little lope he has, I need to get a video of it! Its quite adorable!!!


Nothing too exciting today sadly. Weather was gorgeous! Was close to 50 F with sun out almost all day. Propane got delivered and FedEx dropped off a large outdoor dog kennel for my dog so I ended up spending my day putting that together, at least I got to enjoy the nice weather outside! Been looking at 4-wheelers for sale lately, I really want a pull behind mower so I can have majority of the 20acres kept up with, and a snow plow would be nice as well for future winters! LOL

Been talking to hubby about getting a round pen built, although we dont technically need one, it should would be nice to have, especially with my daughter wanting to ride Rodeo and it would be easier to play with Squishy in more of an enclosed area vs 20 acres! LOL So thats in the works, Im not planning on anything fancy, probably a 3 or 4 rail wooden round pen that we could play around in a bit. Toying with the idea of another horse within the next year or so as well, probably will get something thats broke already and rideable. Ive been keeping my eye out for one at the rescue where we got Squishy but havent seen anything, but Im in no rush what so ever! A lot of plans in the near future though! Im very excited about all my horsey plans!!


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## csimkunas6

Pretty productive day today! There was an old feed bag that blew into the pasture the other day, Squishy didnt seemed bothered by it until I picked it up and tried to rub it against him LOL. I purposely saved the bag to work with him on it a bit and got some time today! Kids ran around him while he was loose today and he wasnt too concerned, they ended up going inside so I spent some extra time outside with him. Worked on getting him used to rhythm beads that someone had made for my daughter, he wasnt phased one bit, so I moved to the bag.

I started with putting it on the ground, he walked over it right away haha, anyways, only spent about 10min working with him and the bag but ended the session with being able to have the bag folded over his back, down to his rump, and was able to move it just about to his ears. Still a bit more work with the bag to go but ended up on a really good note so Ill take it! 

Even got 2 of Rodeo's feet trimmed today so feel like I really got some things accomplished! Im out of practice and out of shape for trimming feet, lol which is why I only got 2 done but better than nothing! Loving this gorgeous weather!


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## csimkunas6

The ranch horses from the pasture in front of the house came over for a visit this morning...basically a family of ranchers separated and sold some of their one section of pasture. There's 7 houses total on our road, each house has 20 acres, all fenced in. There is open pasture across the dirt road we live on that the rancher uses for his horses and his cows in the spring. Usually the horses will come over every now and then and "visit" Rodeo and Squishy, they havent been over for a few weeks but first thing this morning they were out there!

Looking to be another gorgeous day so hoping to get out and mess with the ponies some today! Originally we were planning on just enclosing off a tack/feed room on the run in that is here, but last night we started thinking about how mild this winter has been and that it might be more beneficial to have something more enclosed for upcoming winters, so we are planning on building a mirror image basically to the run in and making a 24' by 36' barn, itll end up being 4 stalls, have an aisle way and ill take from the aisle way a bit and build in a tack/grain room at the end of the aisle way. Pretty excited about this as Ive never officially had my own barn. A lot of different ideas keep popping up so bear with me on all the brainstorming in the near future! LOL


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## egrogan

Love the little marshmallow running with the big guys!


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## Walkamile

Popped in to get my Squishy fix and by gosh was not disappointed! Running with the big kids! My heart is bursting!


How exciting about the barn/improvements! It's great that your husband is so on board, I have to carefully "suggest" anything to my wonderful husband and then be his right hand go-fer and assistant. But, we do what we must to attain our goals.


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## csimkunas6

egrogan said:


> Love the little marshmallow running with the big guys!


Haha Thank you! Its about what he looks like out there with all the full sized horses LOL



Walkamile said:


> Popped in to get my Squishy fix and by gosh was not disappointed! Running with the big kids! My heart is bursting!
> 
> 
> How exciting about the barn/improvements! It's great that your husband is so on board, I have to carefully "suggest" anything to my wonderful husband and then be his right hand go-fer and assistant. But, we do what we must to attain our goals.


Haha....I dropped literally everything to get these pics and sat there watching them for close to an hour! Haha, I couldnt stop watching him try to keep up and do his little baby clacking at the other horses LOL

Im super excited! I didnt really want to dump too much money into it, and thats what originally we were just going to close in a few stalls of whats already there, my husband suggested everything else. LOL....I think he likes to see how nice he can make something, usually his projects turn out a little off lol but they're always usable and workable and hes always really proud of himself so Im looking forward to it! I too end up as a "gopher assistant" LOL but its fun, minus the times he gets frustrated with things not turning out right 100% of the time but thats okay


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## csimkunas6

Forgot to post last night  We had even more visitors yesterday...the neighbor's goats LOL. Squishy wanted to make friends with them but they werent having it and would try ramming him with their horns so he's been staying clear. My daughter and I went out, and worked with Squishy a little bit. She led him around by herself, and I would tell her to turn left, right, stop, ect. He did great! And did everything she asked although it wasnt much. LOL

Today we didnt do much, goats came over again and ended up causing all sorts of chaos with the horses so not much done besides having the kids run around Squishy. He is doing a lot better around them and doing super with the stroller so making progress!!


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## PoptartShop

What a good boy with the bag!! I love it! All of this desensitizing is paying off. OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG I cannot deal!!!!!!!!!!!! Look at the little cutie running along the fence near the others. HE. IS. JUST. SO. CUTE!!!!!!!!!! I know that must've been fun watching! So cute.

Awww poor Squishy with the goats! He just wants to be friends with everyone.

So glad your daughter is doing so well with him!  That is awesome!!!! And yay for him doing better with the stroller. I love all the stuff you are doing with him!


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## csimkunas6

PoptartShop said:


> What a good boy with the bag!! I love it! All of this desensitizing is paying off. OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG I cannot deal!!!!!!!!!!!! Look at the little cutie running along the fence near the others. HE. IS. JUST. SO. CUTE!!!!!!!!!! I know that must've been fun watching! So cute.
> 
> Awww poor Squishy with the goats! He just wants to be friends with everyone.
> 
> So glad your daughter is doing so well with him!  That is awesome!!!! And yay for him doing better with the stroller. I love all the stuff you are doing with him!


Haha!! Hes like a ball of hair getting caught in the breeze! LOL. Im already dreading shedding season although I cant wait to see what he looks like under all his fluff! My daughter is really enjoying her time and little "training" sessions with him, its really like killing 2 birds with one stone, theyre both using energy in the process and both learning from eachother! Its quite the deal!

Thanks! My end goal of course is for him to be as bombproof as possible! Some of the things I end up desensitizing him to are completely random but it pays off in the end! When I lived in NC, someone dumped a mattress on one of the trails I rode on, worked great to get Rodeo used to yet another different surface! I need to bring a tarp out, thing that would be super beneficial! Actually, might put a little obstacle course together today, we'll see how the day goes


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## PoptartShop

I legit said 'OMG!' at work today when I saw the pictures, he is just toooo cute I can't deal!!! LOL. I know I know, I'm crazy lol.

That's GOOD though, random is GOOD! Random stuff is always good to desensitize with. The more, the better!
An obstacle course would be really fun and good for him!  I think he would enjoy that. Seriously, shedding season is gonna be crazy but ahhh seeing him without all that fluff is gonna be interesting! So used to seeing him well, as a puffy marshmallow stuffed animal. :rofl:

So excited to hear how today goes!


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## csimkunas6

Well, he was unphased by everything LOL. Was so boring, pics werent even taken haha! But Im not complaining! I like boring!! We did get some pics of the kids, well 2/3 of my kids up on Rodeo. Shortly after a group of mule deer went through the property so I snuck down to get pics of them and of couse have to get a few of Squishy!

Of course the kids find it amusing to make any silly faces possible so getting good pics of them is nearly impossible at the moment LOL....Rodeo is probably the fattest he has ever been in the coming 8.5years that Ive owned him! I really need to get into working him, sad thing is he's only getting a handful of grain a day, when he doesnt steal Squishys, but hes fat! Sky was pretty as well but can never seem to get the true colors on camera.

My husband is off the next 2 days, so looking forward to getting some horse time in, supposed to get cold and snowy Thursday so have to get as much time in as I can!


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## csimkunas6

Had an insanely busy day today! Since we've moved we've been so busy we havent done some of our unpacking for some of outside things, so today we got some of our outside furniture set up, got the kids gymset put up, and put new flooring in our dog's dog pen so he can stay nice and clean and up off the ground!

Somehow I was still able to deworm Squishy, which he did really really well with, really couldnt have asked for a better job by him, also worked on trailer loading! Since Kaleigh's first horse Ace refused to get on Im paranoid every horse wont get on now, anyways since Squishy will be hauled into get gelded once he drops, trailer loading is super important, and for obvious reasons as well. I kept the session short, pretty put just walked in turned around and walked back out but he did great! He loaded flawlessly three times with not a single issue! Im thrilled and completely relieved! We'll just keep working on it as he grows but really proud of the little fluff!


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## csimkunas6

We ended up back in Billings yesterday. My husband wanted to buy a PS4 so off to the mall we went. The mall turned out to actually be really nice! So it was a good trip to Billings, much better than the first! They even had a Build-A-Bear which the kids cannot wait to go back to.

Got home around 3:30, temp had already started to drop. I went and checked on Squishy and Rodeo, they were fine of course, the battery came in for my son's powerwheels gator, and new charger came in for my daughter's 4 wheeler (long story) so theyll be super excited to be able to use those again! Ive been dying to get some pics of the sunset while riding, and yesterday was the day!

I hopped on Rodeo bareback, which Im so glad I did as it was getting cold FAST and he was so warm! LOL Of course the sunset was so fast and no where near as pretty as usual, so the pics do no justice but it was still nice! Rodeo was incredibly well behaved and Squishy followed along, Rodeo showed no meanness towards him while I was riding so that was a HUGE relief!

It was pretty foggy yesterday morning, but this morning so foggy you can barely see Squishy! LOL.


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## AtokaGhosthorse

I'm like @PoptartShop.


SO FLUFFY! I can't deal!


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## csimkunas6

AtokaGhosthorse said:


> I'm like @PoptartShop.
> 
> 
> SO FLUFFY! I can't deal!


Haha....I think of that one quite often....along with this :rofl:


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## PoptartShop

AtokaGhosthorse said:


> I'm like @PoptartShop.
> 
> 
> SO FLUFFY! I can't deal!



YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My thoughts exactly! :rofl:


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## csimkunas6

Kaleigh got sick after we got back from Billings, she got over it rather quickly and we didnt think anything of it. Yesterday (Thursday) my son got sick, next thing I know, Im sick, my youngest daughter is sick, and here we are today feeling a million times better and my husband is sick. 

Only plus is yesterday and today were colder, woke up to 2" of snow this morning, and its been snowing off and on throughout the day. Supposed to be close to 50 F the next two days LOL. Weather is crazy this year!

I was able to play with Squishy a bit before I got sick yesterday, had the lead rope all over him, wrapped around all his legs, head, ears, lol. Even went and wrapped it around his girth area and pulled it snug, well snug against his fluff. LOL. Didnt care one bit! Hoping everyone is back up healthy and ready to go tomorrow. Fingers crossed!


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## PoptartShop

Oh no, poor sickies! :sad: Ugh. I hope your hubby recovers soon.

Oh wow, snow and then 50F?! Mother Nature needs to make up her mind.

I'm glad you still got to do stuff with Squishy despite being sick. LOL snug against his fluff. :lol: Aw good!!! Fingers crossed today you guys feel way better!!


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## csimkunas6

Thanks PopTart! We are all feeling much better thankfully!

Weather has still been crazy, woke up yesterday to no snow and within an hour the ground was covered! Ended up getting about 5" or so but wasnt able to mess with the horses at all. Today however I was! Kids got to go sledding, and after I took some time to ride Rodeo and play with Squishy after! Rodeo was super, Squishy was full of it as I was riding! Bucking and galloping around like crazy! 

After riding, I grabbed a light saddle blanket and threw it on Squishy, he didnt care one bit! I walked over to my husband, who was inside with the kids, and got the measuring tape....I estimated he was about 9hh the other day, turns out he's a whole 10.1hh!!!!  I cant believe he's that tall, yes I know thats not tall but still! 

He was perfectly content with resting his head in my arms for a while too! He's so cute! I let Rodeo go, and worked on tying Squishy a bit, did really well! So considering its been a week or so since Ive done anything with him, he did super!


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## Walkamile

Been a rough day at work. Thank you for my Squishy fix! Brightened me up and ready for anything now!


What a good little gentleman he is becoming. And that is quite a burst of growth there! He certainly is turning into a little gem. Good thing you are so very far away, or I would be tempted to "re home" him!:Angel:


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## csimkunas6

Walkamile said:


> Been a rough day at work. Thank you for my Squishy fix! Brightened me up and ready for anything now!
> 
> 
> What a good little gentleman he is becoming. And that is quite a burst of growth there! He certainly is turning into a little gem. Good thing you are so very far away, or I would be tempted to "re home" him!:Angel:


Sorry to hear about your bad day at work! And you're welcome! LOL...Ive def been missing the little guy the last few days with everyone being sick, actually keeping my daughter from school again tomorrow just to make sure she's truly over this stomach bug! 

Haha...my daughter loves him to pieces! The weather is supposed to be back up close to 50 F by Sunday, so hopefully she can go out and play with him a bit more!


----------



## Walkamile

No fears on my re homing your little fluffy pony. I could and would never break a little girls heart. :Angel:


Hope she's over that stomach bug, my little 6 yr old grandson had it for 10 days. I was worried sick! When he finally got over it, it was like a switch was flicked! Back to his very talkative and busy self, thank goodness!


50 degress, oh how I wish! Enjoy!


----------



## SummerBliss

Squishy's still as adorable as ever! He looks so tiny with the pad taking up his whole back lol.


----------



## PoptartShop

Yay, glad you are feeling better!
Oh my gosh, Squishy must've been feeling good in the snow. That's so cute. OMG he looks toooooo adorable with a pad on his back! :rofl: What a cutie! The pad is almost as big as him, LOL!
That's good he did really well despite not being worked for almost a week; he is coming along well! So glad.


----------



## SwissMiss

Walkamile said:


> Been a rough day at work. Thank you for my Squishy fix! Brightened me up and ready for anything now!


Was there something in the water? Same here for me, DH and kiddos!

But a dose of Squishy and life looks brighter


----------



## egrogan

I think if Squishy had a FB page/Instagram account, he'd be an internet sensation :grin: I'm glad we have him here on HF, we all need our regular fix! It _almost _makes me want a foal- _almost..._


----------



## carshon

I am just now joining the Squishy fan club. And I love the fluff but those tiny little ears took me right over the edge!


----------



## PoptartShop

Seriously, if I'm having a crappy day at work, or a stressful day, I go to Squishy's journal & it makes everything better!!!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter

Lol, well you'd better keep updating regularly, or all of us back here are gonna die without our Squishy fix  We're all addicted to his cuteness 


Maybe I've been bitten too hard by the bug, but check out this lil feller:









He's a lil WelshX weanling I was looking at. Good price, close by, but... you know. lol


----------



## Caledonian

Another one joins the Squishy fan club! He's adorable with his little pink nose, button eyes and tiny ears. 

I might join the Rodeo fan club as well as he's gorgeous and a wonderful big brother for Squishy. That's a great photo of him with your kids in the saddle. He's the type of horse I'd love to own. Great scenery.:smile:


----------



## csimkunas6

Walkamile said:


> No fears on my re homing your little fluffy pony. I could and would never break a little girls heart. :Angel:
> 
> 
> Hope she's over that stomach bug, my little 6 yr old grandson had it for 10 days. I was worried sick! When he finally got over it, it was like a switch was flicked! Back to his very talkative and busy self, thank goodness!
> 
> 
> 50 degress, oh how I wish! Enjoy!


Shes over it for the most part, doesnt have her appetite 100% but shes also going through a picky stage so that doesnt help LOL Glad your grandson is feeling better!!



SummerBliss said:


> Squishy's still as adorable as ever! He looks so tiny with the pad taking up his whole back lol.


He's pretty little! LOL Thats probably why he seems so cute to me haha



PoptartShop said:


> Yay, glad you are feeling better!
> Oh my gosh, Squishy must've been feeling good in the snow. That's so cute. OMG he looks toooooo adorable with a pad on his back! :rofl: What a cutie! The pad is almost as big as him, LOL!
> That's good he did really well despite not being worked for almost a week; he is coming along well! So glad.


Haahaha I was thinking I could make it into a blanket if I needed to! Haha!!



SwissMiss said:


> Was there something in the water? Same here for me, DH and kiddos!
> 
> But a dose of Squishy and life looks brighter


LOL, he made me feel better while I was sick! Probably why I felt better sooner than everyone else! I should have brought him inside for everyone to see!



egrogan said:


> I think if Squishy had a FB page/Instagram account, he'd be an internet sensation :grin: I'm glad we have him here on HF, we all need our regular fix! It _almost _makes me want a foal- _almost..._


Hahaha Ive been thinking about doing one! Cowboy Magic on Facebook has been obsessed with Squishy and has already shared several photos of him! LOL



carshon said:


> I am just now joining the Squishy fan club. And I love the fluff but those tiny little ears took me right over the edge!


Yay! Aren't they cute?! Maybe the Welsh Pony part of him!!



PoptartShop said:


> Seriously, if I'm having a crappy day at work, or a stressful day, I go to Squishy's journal & it makes everything better!!!


LOL...glad I can make things better with Squishy pics Poptart!!



JoBlueQuarter said:


> Lol, well you'd better keep updating regularly, or all of us back here are gonna die without our Squishy fix  We're all addicted to his cuteness
> 
> 
> Maybe I've been bitten too hard by the bug, but check out this lil feller:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He's a lil WelshX weanling I was looking at. Good price, close by, but... you know. lol


Oh my!!!!! He's adorable!! Looks just like Squishy in a different color! Hahaha



Caledonian said:


> Another one joins the Squishy fan club! He's adorable with his little pink nose, button eyes and tiny ears.
> 
> I might join the Rodeo fan club as well as he's gorgeous and a wonderful big brother for Squishy. That's a great photo of him with your kids in the saddle. He's the type of horse I'd love to own. Great scenery.:smile:



Yay!!! Welcome to the club! LOL His personality is super to match, hes incredibly friendly! Squishy and Rodeo actually welcomed our FedEx guy yesterday LOL....and thank you! Rodeo has been a horse I could only dream of having, has been a dream come true owning him the past 8 years!





As for updates.....its pretty chilly today! High of 32 F, 15-20mph winds, been snowing on and off. I was able to spend some time with Squishy though! Picked up all four of his feet, touched him all over, the usual. He is pretty stuck on being where Rodeo is, so I walked him to the front of the house, theres 2 wooden staircases that have been built into a little slope into the ground, the one set are pretty close together and have 8+ steps but the other set are nicely spread out, even, and only 4 steps. I had Squishy go down them, which he was a bit unsure about at first but picked it up quickly and was confidently going up and down the stairs within 5min...that was about all I could take of the could, besides the fact I lunged Rodeo a bit before working with Squishy LOL Overall was a lot of fun! Pic from this morning...


----------



## csimkunas6

*Month Anniversary!*

So its been officially a month since we brought Squishy home from the rescue!! What a little gentlemen he truly is! Although the rescue put a fantastic foundation on him with the basics, such as generally picking up feet, and being haltered, there were still things that needed work....obviously LOL. He wasnt too fond of getting on the trailer for the first time when coming home, but didnt take much to convince him to hop on, and he would let you pick up his feet but he wasnt a huge fan of doing much more than that....fast forward a month, he picks up and lets you hold his feet without any fuss (for the most part), he stands to be groomed, he lets you put a saddle blanket on him, leads 100% better, and walks right on and off the trailer without any tension what so ever.....so overall Im super happy with the progress he's already made in a months time! Still cant wait to see whats under all his fluff come spring! LOL


----------



## PoptartShop

AW! Happy one month anniversary, Squishy!   I love the picture of him & Rodeo. So cute. Glad you got to work with him even though it was cold and windy. Whew! I bet he looked adorable going up an down the steps too lol. So cute.
I have thoroughly enjoyed your journal so far!!

He really has made so much progress, and he's so willing to try things and learn. And he's so good with the kids.

Such cute pictures, I'm excited for spring too, but I will miss all that fluff. LOL!


----------



## Walkamile

Yay Squishy! So happy he is working out so very well. Must say I get so excited over every new picture of him! Can't wait to see, come spring, what is under all that fluff!


----------



## Caledonian

Love the photos, especially the last one with your daughter. Every little girls dream!


----------



## csimkunas6

Super day for Mr. Squishy! I was able to lead him away from Rodeo with no issues! The other day he would just kind of stop and not move and then move once I applied a bit of pressure, but today no pressure was needed and he willingly walked away!

After we worked on disengaging his hindquarters, and overall just worked a bit more on giving to the direction of pressure from the lead rope, he caught on super quick, took one time to get the concept of everything, so didnt work too much on it, not to mention it was a high of 24 F with 15mph winds, so . bit chilly out! LOL....here's a pic of little Squishy


----------



## JoBlueQuarter

His lil tail, those cutie ears and that gaze... my heart can't take this <3


----------



## AnitaAnne

Squishy just makes my heart melt! What a cutie! But those pictures with your daughter! That needs to be in a frame on the wall  

With a few straps added, that saddle blanket would be a blanket :rofl: 

10.1H already! Wonder how tall he will get...

I am so curious about what his little face looks like under all the fluff, hurry up spring


----------



## PoptartShop

What a good day!  Omg he is too cute...I really can't deal, AHH! Yay, glad you were able to lead him away from Rodeo easily! Such a good little fluffball! <3


----------



## csimkunas6

Not too much to report today, was 35 F with 25mph winds so was a bit chilly. Rodeo and Squishy were down by the run in so I went ahead and fed them down there, of course since the water has to have the heater in it, its up by the house, so they ended up following me back to the house for water LOL....have to admit, they are super drinkers! Squishy is a slow eater as well, Rodeo is a pig and eats his and tries to eat Squishys so I have to stand there and make sure tubby doesnt eat all the food LOL

While I was down at the run in today I noticed how despite the front being completely open, no wind was getting to me/inside what so ever. So Im thinking instead of dumping $3k+ and building 2 more stalls and an aisle way, and also a tack/feed room, I think Im just going to enclose a feed/tack room in and make two 12x12 stalls. I was really looking forward to an aisle way and just more space/extra stall but I have a feeling if I have a third stall, soon there will be a third horse and Im not sure if I want a third one for quite some time...and itll save some money to where I can possibly buy a 4-wheeler with some attachments so that would be a plus! Anyways....pictures!!


----------



## csimkunas6

Insanely windy today! 50-60+mph winds....started out close to 50 and has quickly dropped throughout the day. Ive been feeding Rodeo and Squishy down in the run in to get used to being down there and also, its easier to keep them separated easier lol. 

Basically have done the same thing the past two days, swinging a rope around Squishy, putting it around his girth and making it a bit snug, going up and down his legs with it, all over his neck and head , he could care less. My daughter even rode her 4 wheeler around him yesterday and he didnt care at all so thats great! Today I even started to braid his mane! Seems absurd to me as hes only 6.5mo old and I can already braid his mane! Rodeo's mane has only been pulled/trimmed once in his life and its only practically 3in longer than Squishys, actually Squishy's forelock is wayyy nicer than Rodeos! LOL

Rodeo is super playful out in the pasture, usually in the morning after he eats breakfast. Hes been trying to get Squishy to play along but he was a bit unsure, well yesterday he got the idea! I got a few pics but it was awesome to watch! LOL

We're also back to building a 12' by 24' addition to out 12' by 24' run in again come spring LOL. We've been so back and fourth on what would be best for us and for here, but have decided it would be better to have something and not need it than to need something and not have it. This winter has been exceptionally easy but from what locals have said, insanely strange, just last year they got 7ft of snow throughout the winter, and had snow on the ground until mid April, this winter we cant seem to keep snow on the ground for more than a day or two.

My goal for the week for Squishy is to hopefully have him good at ponying behind Rodeo! Ive been toying with the idea of a third horse come spring, something thats already rideable, but with the lack of precipitation locals are talking about a bad fire season, with only having a 2 horse trailer, Ill probably just stick to 2 until I can either get a bigger trailer, or figure out another emergency plan besides evacuating 2 and leaving 1 horse if it came down to that once i have 3 horses, "if" LOL


----------



## PoptartShop

OMG that is just precious them playing together!!!!!!  They are so cute! <3 That'll be good come spring, how exciting! And yeah...3rd stall = 3rd horse to come LOL.

I think he will do great ponying behind Rodeo. They are so adorable together. Rodeo seems to give him confidence, I love it! And...of course I love all the FLUFF!!!!!! 
Made my Monday morning!


----------



## csimkunas6

Insanely windy here again today, after I picked my daughter up from school I drove down to the other side of the property to see where Rodeo and Squishy were.....every morning they come up for a handful of grain and for water, well this morning they didnt.

Of course they were fine overall, Rodeo has been favoring his right front but he has a heck of a crack from a past abscess, so Im always keeping an eye on that foot and he has occasional soreness, anyways, they were under the run in eating hay LOL Staying up out of the cold and wind. A few hours later they were up getting water, and Squishy was FULL of it! Galloping, bucking, rearing, just having a great time. Got some pics too!!

Been inspecting the run in more and more lately, while it works as a run in, its not going to work as a barn conversion....so I was able to talk my husband into giving up the garage! Yay! The garage wasnt done all the way anyways, but itll be awesome because not only is it close to the house, but itll actually be possible to have water and electric in the barn, which wasnt even remotely possible in the run in shed, so Im super excited! Another plus is that the garage is pretty new (3yrs max) so all we'll have to do is frame in stalls, and make doors for the garage! So itll be under $1k possibly even $500! Getting exact measurements today, but its BIG! So super excited there!


----------



## Walkamile

They are so adorable together, and I think I could almost make out Squishy's face with the wind blowing some fluff down...:smile:


Your husband sounds like a wonderful person! I don't think mine, as good as he can be, would even consider giving up a garage for the horses. I always marvel at how other husbands show their support for their wives horse addiction. Well done Mr.Csimkunas6, well done!


----------



## LoriF

Squishy is the most adorable pony ever, seriously. Him and Rodeo are too cute together.


----------



## csimkunas6

Walkamile said:


> They are so adorable together, and I think I could almost make out Squishy's face with the wind blowing some fluff down...:smile:
> 
> 
> Your husband sounds like a wonderful person! I don't think mine, as good as he can be, would even consider giving up a garage for the horses. I always marvel at how other husbands show their support for their wives horse addiction. Well done Mr.Csimkunas6, well done!


I know! I can almost see his face! Haha I thought the same thing! Luckily, he's all excited about building it for me, and doesnt use the garage too terribly much, well he has his section which will still be there LOL so I got lucky! The garage is 24'by 30', so we're going to have 3 10'x12' stalls, the one will be a tack room/feed room, and then we'll have an area for hay storage as well. Im insanely excited lol



LoriF said:


> Squishy is the most adorable pony ever, seriously. Him and Rodeo are too cute together.



Thank you! I have a feeling he's going to start getting naughty soon as he matures and hormones kick in, LOL....not sure if itll make him any less cute though HAHA


A bit chilly today, it was 13 F with a real feel of -5 F when I went and played with the ponies, basically just fed, and worked on Rodeo's hooves. Although when I went to get Rodeo, Squishy ran up to me first so I just worked with him on haltering and unhaltering, of course he was unphased....he then proceeded to follow me to the door and practically come inside with me LOL...he sure is a friendly little guy! The kids absolutely love him and want to run out to give him hugs all the time, luckily Squishy seems to enjoy them lol....no pics of the horses, but here is a pic of the sunset from tonight....hope everyone stays warm over the next few days!


----------



## PoptartShop

That is super exciting!!!!!  

Omg, look at the fluff! Looks like he was having a good time!!!! What a cute and friendly little guy, I love it. His personality sure matches his looks <3
Beautiful sunset!


----------



## csimkunas6

We drove to the nearest Wal-Mart today, about 90mi one way. When we got back Squishy and Rodeo were at the gate waiting LOL.....my kids played on the gymset while we brought the groceries in, and again Rodeo and Squishy were right there. I swear, theyre like giant dogs Hahah.....so nosey, Squishy has literally been on the back patio waiting for breakfast like every morning lately.

Anyways, I ended up working a bit with him on personal space, he's always up on top of me. He did really well and caught on quick, I was able to get him to trot with me, Rodeo was completely out of sight and I was really happy with his willingness to actually move and go forward, usually when Rodeo is out of sight, he gets stuck so to speak. We worked on giving to pressure, not walking away when Im not ready, and little basic things like that. We ended the day with him standing "tied" at the trailer. Basically I just had his lead rope thread thru the hook thing (LOL) on the trailer and just held onto the end, he stood there patiently and very quietly, not very long but before he started to get antsy, I took his halter off and rewarded him. He did really well today on some more serious stuff. Still keeping everything pretty short and sweet with him being rather young still but proud of him! 

His personality has really came out since being here, he is insanely friendly, curious, and just a really sweet little guy! Luckily, knock on wood, we have not hit a "mouthy" stage which Im so ecstatic with! Fingers crossed he is like Rodeo and skips that stage completely! But if not itll get dealt with accordingly, nothing I dislike more than a nippy horse!


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## PoptartShop

I love it! It's good to teach them personal space. As much as we always wanna cuddle with them, they can't always be on top of us! :lol: And I know it's hard because he's sucha fluffball!

What a good boy, short and sweet is good! His personality is precious just like him!
I hope he skips that stage too, LOL! But I don't think he will go through that. He is just a cute sweet ball of fluff. :rofl:


----------



## csimkunas6

Squishy continues to greet us, well hes actually telling me thats hes ready for his breakfast, but the kids think that hes telling them good morning LOL.....today was gorgeous! 45 F if not . little higher, supposed to be warmer the next few days.

I worked with Squishy with the dressage whip I have, he hasnt liked it one bit in the past but today he learned it was no big thing and nothing to worry about! I also worked on picking up feet, touching him everywhere as usual LOL and I checked to see if his man parts have dropped.....nothing yet. 

I ended up bringing the kids out for a few hours, which they were thrilled! Even baby Kasidee got some time outside and on Rodeo 

ETA...I am standing behind Rodeo holding Kasidee on LOL She was NOT just thrown and left up there by herself....also, ignore the house and gymset behind Rodeo, he is persistent in following all around lately LOL


----------



## AnitaAnne

Adorable! My favorite is the one where they are standing head-to-tail and Rodeo has his head curved around protectively. So sweet! 

With three kiddos, and a DH, you might think about trading in the two horse for a stock trailer! I suspect eventually everyone will have their own ride :Angel:

Meanwhile, in and emergency, just stick little Squishy in the back of the truck...he should fit :smile:


----------



## csimkunas6

*Photo Alert!!!!*

Nearly 60F out today! Was not planning on doing anything with Squishy until later, was just going to have the kids play fora. few and then work with Squishy when my husband got home but my daughter insisted we "train" Squishy, and thats what we did! I haltered him for her and she took him down and back to a rock as a turn around point. He was pretty good, I did have to help along the way a bit but overall was a good boy.

After that I brought him into the garage (soon to be barn) and grabbed some brushes. I thought it would be a super opportunity to "tie" him to the trailer, again just had him thru the loop and held the other end, Rodeo was standing off behind him falling asleep. Im sure that helped quite a bit! Squishy did super! We had a moment of pawing, a moment of chewing on the leadrope but overall he did great! We were probably there for a good 5min if not more so Im happy with that! Especially for his first time being made to stand for any amount of time! 

Another day of near 60 tomorrow and then out of nowhere the temps drop to the teens and below for about a week! Not worried about Squishy or Rodeo one bit to be honest, well as far as them staying warm, they're both more than equipped to handle some cold temps, and with the run in and 24/7 access to hay Im not too concerned, plus too is that they are superb drinkers! Thats always a plus! Anyways....photos!!!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter

Squishy is adorable and growing so fast, but I can't get over how gorgeous Rodeo is. He's like a grown-up version of Heidi, and so absolutely beautiful. Really, my heart skips a beat with each new picture, lol. So keep em coming


----------



## csimkunas6

JoBlueQuarter said:


> Squishy is adorable and growing so fast, but I can't get over how gorgeous Rodeo is. He's like a grown-up version of Heidi, and so absolutely beautiful. Really, my heart skips a beat with each new picture, lol. So keep em coming


Right?! He looks like he's grown taller to me already! Maybe he'll be 14.3hh like the rescue thought vs the 11.2hh that his knee to coronet band measures....time will tell!

And thank you! Rodeo is my absolute pride and joy! 100% my heart horse without question! I love Heidi!! She reminds me so much of Rodeo, just much more mareish obviously LOL


----------



## csimkunas6

Well today will probably be the last day for a few of updates....got up to 55 today and the temp is dropping....down to 14 tonight and it continues dropping to -10 Sunday night.

As for today, I tied a plastic bad on the end of my dressage whip and desensitized Squishy as well as Rodeo. They both did great, Squishy did take a few to warm up to the idea but didnt take long at all. 

They're all set for the weather, round bale is up under the run in, water is full, water heater is working superb, should all go just fine! Dont believe Ill have to blanket, they are fairly smart about staying up in the run in when weather gets bad and only come out for water and the occasional visit but tend to stay hidden and up under shelter so thats a big relief! Hope everyone stays warm!


----------



## csimkunas6

It is a bit chilly this Superbowl Sunday! Went out this morning to feed Squishy and Rodeo breakfast and it was 9 above 0, went back out around 4pm to feed them dinner, and it was -2 with a real feel of -20. Squishy seemed completely unphased, and was bucking and galloping around happy as can be, I could tell Rodeo was a bit chilled and on closer inspection was just barely shivering, so I threw his blanket on him. Its not real heavy, but has a wool lining so its better than nothing. Usually, he'd rather not have a blanket and although he's never been bad for putting one on, he usually is a bit fidgety, not today! LOL

After they went and got a drink and Rodeo walked off with squishy bucking, rearing, kicking out, just generally playing following behind. It was quite adorable!


----------



## SummerBliss

Sounds like Squishy enjoys the cold weather lol He such a cute little guy! Love hearing how energetic he is and all the fun you guys have.


----------



## Walkamile

I'm not surprised the low temps didn't phase Squishy. After all he is a "woolly mammoth" pony! 



I think I'm as anxious for warmer temps for myself as I am to see what's under all that woolliness! Best reveal party to be ever!!!!:happydance:


----------



## PoptartShop

Squishy is just too cute!! <3 I can tell he likes the cold weather more...after all, he is one big fluffball! :rofl: Rodeo is so handsome. I love his markings.
They are so adorable, and so happy together! Glad you got to enjoy some warmer weather for a change though.


----------



## csimkunas6

*Freezing!!!*

It is freezing here! LOL I believe it got up to -3 today....with windchills it was -19. Supposed to get another 2-4in of snow on top of the 2in we got last night, temps are supposed to drop quite drastically tonight, with windchill they're calling for -35. 

Squishy continues to do really well despite the cold, he was even "helping" me take off Rodeo's blanket today as the sun came out. He was literally in my face the entire time I was undoing Rodeo's blanket, as I walked to the other side of Rodeo, Squishy was right there. Honestly, I thought Rodeo was one of the friendliest, "helpful" horses there were, well Squishy has completely outdone Rodeo! LOL

With that being said, he is my daughter's pony, but I am absolutely in love with the littler s**t! As devastating as it was leaving Ace behind in WV, Squishy has taken his place and then some. To be honest, Ace's personality was pretty "blah" so to speak, and if he became overwhelmed over something, might as well just give up and go home as when he got to that point there was nothing else to be done for the day.

Here are some pics of Squishy and Rodeo playing in the morning sunshine  With the temps, not doing a whole lot with Squishy besides brushing the snow off his back with my frozen hands and picking ice out of his little hooves, he seems to enjoy the attention


----------



## csimkunas6

Another freezing day! The high is I believe -2. Temps got to -16 last night and with wind chill was reported as -35. Rodeo's blanket wouldnt stop shifting, well I ended up pulling too hard to get it shifted back and it tore LOL. Guess thats what happens when you only pay $30 for a medium weight blanket. 

We ended up getting some hay from the round bale and spreading it in the run in and brought some up to the garage soon to be barn as well. This morning they were both in the garage! Neither seem cold so thats a relief and they are drinking as they usually do so thats another relief! Not supposed to get above 0 until Thursday but Squishy and Rodeo are doing super! Squishy is up your butt from the second he sees you outside! LOL Hes like having another kid literally! 

I broke down, well I got bored, he now has his own Instagram...squishytherescuepony LOL


----------



## PoptartShop

Squishy is so adorable. I love how friendly he is. 
The pictures of him & Rodeo omg how cute!!!!! Looks like they are giving each other kisses lol so cute!!
I don't blame you for falling for him, look at him, who wouldn't?!!! 

I spent $30 on my mare's lightweight sheet, and it tore in the first week. She still wears it though because it's only shredded a little on the butt. :lol: But I did splurge on the heavy blanket. Is his salvageable I hope! LOL

OMG I need to follow his Instagram. I have to! :lol: I need daily cuteness!

I have an Instagram for my guinea pigs...you can totally judge me lol.


----------



## Walkamile

This latest picture just melts my heart.


----------



## csimkunas6

PoptartShop said:


> Squishy is so adorable. I love how friendly he is.
> The pictures of him & Rodeo omg how cute!!!!! Looks like they are giving each other kisses lol so cute!!
> I don't blame you for falling for him, look at him, who wouldn't?!!!
> 
> I spent $30 on my mare's lightweight sheet, and it tore in the first week. She still wears it though because it's only shredded a little on the butt. :lol: But I did splurge on the heavy blanket. Is his salvageable I hope! LOL
> 
> OMG I need to follow his Instagram. I have to! :lol: I need daily cuteness!
> 
> I have an Instagram for my guinea pigs...you can totally judge me lol.


Im def going to invest in a decent blanket for next winter! I think his is salvageable so thats a plus! That is awesome you have an IG for your guinea pigs! I had one a few years back, then got another and they didnt get along but OMG they were so much fun!! Whats their IG name?! Id love to follow them! LOL
@Walkamile...thank you! They are best of friends already! Dont think theyll be much separating them but since my daughter will be riding with me once Squishy's old enough I dont think itll be too big of a deal.


----------



## PoptartShop

Go for it!  Their IG name is Maple_Maisie


----------



## csimkunas6

-3 with a real feel of -20 as the high today. Despite Rodeo appearing cold a few nights ago, he hasnt seemed cold a second since. Squishy continues to do great! Little guy followed my husband to get firewood in the shed this morning, walked right up the ramp into the shed with him LOL Hes just so nosey! 

I was pleasantly surprised to find them in the bottom of the pasture grazing when I went out to give them dinner, they came walking up the hill, once to the top, they played, trotting, gallopng, bucking, tossing their heads, throwing their legs out all sorts of directions.

Despite how good they are doing with these freezing temps, Im ready for it to warm up a bit so I can actually play with Squishy a bit more!

Pics from today!


----------



## Walkamile

I know I am always fawning over Squishy, and rightfully so, but your Rodeo is such a handsome guy! I really love his build. Thanks for the photos!


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## csimkunas6

Walkamile said:


> I know I am always fawning over Squishy, and rightfully so, but your Rodeo is such a handsome guy! I really love his build. Thanks for the photos!


Thank you! He is amazing, I cant say enough good things about him, I just couldnt be happier with him to be honest! He's came and matured so much, was such an ugly little guy when I bought him 8yrs ago! LOL


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## PoptartShop

Ok, I CANNOT DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The pictures of Squishy running around are so cute, look at his little feet omg! Makes my day I swear!! <3 

And Rodeo is such a handsome boy!  They look like they are having a blast together.


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## csimkunas6

PoptartShop said:


> Ok, I CANNOT DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The pictures of Squishy running around are so cute, look at his little feet omg! Makes my day I swear!! <3
> 
> And Rodeo is such a handsome boy!  They look like they are having a blast together.


Squishy usually starts running up first, of course hes a bit slower than Rodeo so usually Rodeo catches up fairly quickly LOL But Squishy is having a blast! A bit warmer today, supposed to get a few degrees above 0! LOL.


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## csimkunas6

Finally!!! Its warm and I was able to be outside for more than 5sec without freezing! It was like a warm front today at 26 F! It was so nice! I went out with no real plans besides just spending time with Rodeo and Squishy but we did so much more!

Squishy came right up to me, practically put his head in the halter, walked away from Rodeo without any fuss, stood for a quick brushing, again led away from Rodeo without fuss. I tied him for a few minutes, he did great, grabbed a saddle blanket, threw it on him, he didnt flinch, stood like a pro, grabbed a random fly mask and threw that on him as well. He's just super! Such a friendly little guy, takes everything in stride! Super happy with today considering I havent done anything with him in what seems like ages!

Squishy is also 8mo this month! Crazy! I forgot how fast time goes by with a foal!


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## csimkunas6

*Naughty Squishy!*

Today was close to 40 F! We ran into town and got back around noon, I decided to ride Rodeo before we get hit with more snow and before the temps drop yet again. Rodeo was super, hes round, out of shape, and fat. LOL But he was really good! Squishy on the other hand, OMG! LOL He was galloping, bucking, rearing, just having a blast zooming around literally everywhere he could possibly go. Rodeo was pretty unfazed by his shenanigans for the most part, but Squishy became more and more hyper as the ride went on and towards the end Rodeo went from a nice trot to a head dropping, trying to buck but hes too fat and lazy canter. Hahaha....cant blame him!

After I untacked, I brushed both of them down, and threw an actual saddle pad on Squishy while he was standing in the barn, one thing led to another and he had my daughter's child pony sized saddle on his back. Once I saw he was again unfazed by the ordeal I took it off and just held it over his back to see if he was worried about it at all, nope, not a care in the world! Super happy! 

Supposed to get 4 or more inches of snow tonight and cold temps again so who knows when the next time Ill be routinely working with Squishy but he's doing great! Still super excited to see what he looks like under all the fluff, and been debating on what size halter to buy for him. I think he's in a foal sized now, Im thinking a pony sized would be the perfect size for now and for life really LOL

Photos of mr ornery himself lol, which he really isnt being anything other than a 8mo old not dropped stud colt LOL


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## JoBlueQuarter

Aww, he looks so happy! I'm so glad he found such a great home with you guys <3


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## csimkunas6

Yet another freezing day! Thankfully the next few days are going to be close 30, then drop under 10 for a few and then supposed to be back up to 30! yay! Pretty crazy when 30 F sounds warm haha!

Didnt do anything with the horses today, they hung around the house all day and pretty much watched for me to come out any door all day LOL....these were the results...Im convinced Squishy will be up on the porch sooner rather than later at this rate!


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## csimkunas6

Well, hit our first road block today. As many of you know, we had an issue loading my daughter's first horse, it escalated so rapidly we were unable to bring him when we moved, so trailer loading is VERY important to me! Squishy did super last time, but I figured its been a few so might as well work on it today. Initially, it was going great! First time walking up, he was half way in. Rodeo came galloping up the hill and spooked once he saw us in the trailer, which in turn scared Squishy, so he took off backwards, slipped, and then somehow caught himself....after that he was done...well not really, we would make progress, he'd get all the way on the ramp, back up and start over.

No biggie, I sat in the trailer and figured he'd come on on his own in time. Next thing I know, his rear leg is cocked, lower lip hanging low, and he's falling asleep half way on the ramp. About an half hour of waiting, it was clear he wasnt getting on himself, so Id put some pressure on the lead rope, he'd take a step, Id immediately release. We were getting there! Thats when Rodeo decided he was done standing around and he took off down to the run in. Grrr!! Took a few steps back. I ended up putting the rope around Squishy's butt and encouraging him to get on, didnt take anymore than 10sec and hardly any encouragement before he just willingly walked on. I instantly rewarded him with lots of rubbing and petting, he seemed quite proud of himself. He stood for a few minutes willingly, and then I went ahead and led him off, he calmly walked off and I unhaltered. All in all, took about an hour from beginning to end. Not exactly thrilled but ended on a good note. Supposed to be nice again tomorrow so will probably work on the trailer again for a few tomorrow, my goal is to get him loading like he was a few weeks ago when he happily walked on and off within minutes. Fingers crossed!


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## knightrider

Can you put Rodeo in first? Then Squishy might walk right in. When I am working with foals learning to load, I put the mother in, then the baby and they go right on. There have been times when I needed to load and get going and somebody suddenly doesn't want to load, that I have put the bff on, then the reluctant one, then taken the bff out.


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## csimkunas6

10 F for the high today, supposed to get another 4-8" on top of the 5" we got yesterday! Squishy is going to be hard to find LOL

Decided to work on trailer loading again today. I tied Rodeo on the ring on the outside of the trailer and walked to the ramp. Squishy didnt even hesitate and walked right on, go figure. I rubbed all over him, told him "good boy" and walked him off. Walked around for a minute, turned around and went back on, again walked right on. I did the same thing, we walked off, I went and grabbed his grain bucket and let him eat that in the trailer. This time he did hesitate and I had to talk to him, well I said, "Come on Squishy". He thought for a second and then walked on and peacefully ate his grain on the trailer.

I didnt nor do I plan on using treats, grain, hay, ect as encouragement to load onto a trailer, my main goal is for him to hop on without question. Overall, completely exceeded my expectations today as I was expecting to spend some time again with him working on loading. Just goes to show how one day you expect something to be no big deal and it turns out to be just that, the next day go out, think its going to be a big deal and its nothing. Yesterday, we spent probably close to an hour getting Squishy to load one time, today it took 15min to get him loaded 4 different times!

Also....Squishy is shedding! After I rubbed him all over, I looked at my black gloves and they had white hairs all over them! Awesome! Cannot wait until he's shed out and I can see whats under all his fluff! I do know when he first arrived, he was a bit thin under his fluff. I could feel his shoulders, spine, and hips more predominantly than I preferred, def not feeling anymore!


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## csimkunas6

knightrider said:


> Can you put Rodeo in first? Then Squishy might walk right in. When I am working with foals learning to load, I put the mother in, then the baby and they go right on. There have been times when I needed to load and get going and somebody suddenly doesn't want to load, that I have put the bff on, then the reluctant one, then taken the bff out.


Wow, sorry completely missed your post! I could def put Rodeo on but when Squishy needs gelded, he'll be going to the vet most likely by himself, so Id like for him to be able to go on by himself for the most part. 

Had success yesterday, plan is to work on trailer loading a bit more, every other week-every 2 weeks to keep him hopefully going on without issue overall. Im fairly certain he'd hop right on if Rodeo was on, but then again, I was 100% sure my daughter's Paint gelding would have done the same although Squishy is quite different.


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## Caledonian

That's great that he's loading. He's done so well and he did have a few distractions yesterday when Rodeo was galloping about. Gorgeous photos especially the ones with his face close to the camera. Do you think he'll be a grey under the fluff?


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## csimkunas6

Caledonian said:


> That's great that he's loading. He's done so well and he did have a few distractions yesterday when Rodeo was galloping about. Gorgeous photos especially the ones with his face close to the camera. Do you think he'll be a grey under the fluff?


Im hoping he was just distracted the other day, 2/3 times of trailer loading he did super well so we'll see in a week or two how he does again! Thank you!

Im undecided what color he's going to be, pics before he grew his fluff he was very clearly palomino, but he's so light, he does have a few areas that are more pally color if you move his fluff around a bit, guess time will tell! Never had good luck with any palominos Ive worked with in the past, but color doesnt make or break a horse so to speak LOL so we'll see!


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## csimkunas6

2 F and a few more inches of snow, and I was off to go pick up another round bale. I got the last one the day before I got Squishy on 12/23, and just now had to get another! Not too bad! Although it lasted me near 2mo, I went ahead and reserved another one just in case. This bale also has a good bit more grass hay in it whereas the last one was mainly alfalfa so I have a feeling they'll eat this one a bit faster.

With how cold it was, I was not planning on doing anything besides checking water and feeding some grain but Rodeo and Squishy were dying for attention and who I am to deprive them of it?! Squishy followed me anywhere and everywhere, and it got me thinking, what if I walked into the trailer, would he follow me in? So I dropped the ramp, it was heavier than I was thinking for whatever reason, he jumped straight into the air but stayed in the same spot LOL. I opened one side of the doors and walked in, he followed right behind me! Then our barn cat Pasta came in, and then Rodeo came up trying to get in....crazy animals. I let Squishy hang out for a few and actually had to nudge him out a bit, it was getting a bit chilly at this point lol. 

Supposed to warm up above 20 in the next day or two so will probably try to get the kids out, and of course have Kaleigh "train" Squishy.


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## csimkunas6

Got up to 20 degrees and was sunny, felt like a heat wave! Squishy and Rodeo are still doing really well in the colder temps, theyre drinking well and of course eating good too. I went out to feed grain this afternoon, haltered Rodeo and walked him down to check the round bale, he only gets a handful of grain so doesnt take him long to eat. He wasnt thrilled about leaving Squishy so I worked with him on basic groundwork, lunging, changing direction, giving to pressure, disengaging hindquarters, just the basics. Seemed to get his mind on me and off of Squishy which was the reason for it today.

With it being warmer, they hung up around the house quite a bit. Basically, there is a fence all the way around the property, 20acres in total. The house/garage are at the front of the 20 acres, a storage shed a few hundred feet from the house and the run in is about half way into the property smack in the middle. With how obnoxious Rodeo and Squishy are when we are out, we're going to fence in the back yard so they cant come up to the back door and the gymset, trampoline ect. Theyll still be able to come up to the front porch and the side door of course. 

Squishy and Rodeo came up to the back sliding door this afternoon and of course the kids had to give them carrots, Squishy doesnt understand carrots LOL....he'll eat a peppermint butt hats the only treats hes been given...I tried breaking up a small piece, still didnt work, just kept spitting it out LOL.

While I was outside, I did work with picking his feet up, touching all over, messing with ears, mouth, belly, legs ect. Still all good there so thats a plus!


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## PoptartShop

They are just SO cute!!!!!!!  It's good you did some stuff with Rodeo, I'm sure he was upset leaving his little friend Squishy! :lol: They are too adorable.

Crazy how Squishy refuses the carrots! I've only met 1 horse that wasn't a fan of them. LOL, that is funny! Maybe when he is older he will like them.
So glad he is doing so well!!


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## csimkunas6

25 F, sunny, and my husband was off work, so of course I had to take advantage and play with the ponies! Went and got Rodeo, at the round bale of course, Squishy followed. I tied Rodeo to the trailer, tacked him up, and while doing so, noticed Squishy was just a bit jumpy today. So I spent some time with him, rubbing a lead rope over him that he didnt like, got over that. I jumped up and down and he had no idea what was going on, so that took a few to get him to be fine with but once he was okay, he was good to go! 

I had plans of attempting to pony him but with how jumpy he was, figured it could wait another day. Glad I did, Squishy was absolutely insane today! LOL I ended up doing more groundwork with Rodeo than riding but oh well. Squishy had a blast galloping around the entire time I worked Rodeo, which wasnt long but wow,hes got some speed and endurance apparently! haha.

Rodeo got pretty hot and sweaty, ended up having to throw a cooler on him and cooling him off a bit, by this time Squishy had had enough and he went to eat some more hay LOL....overall was a good day, worked with Squishy with his jumpiness today, so thats always good!


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## PoptartShop

Awww, Squishy must've been feeling good! :lol: He was probably like, ummm why are you jumping up & down?! LOL.

Glad you did some stuff with him, despite him being in a jumpy mood! Seems like he gets over things quickly. What a good little puffball! How did Rodeo do while Squishy was galloping around while you were working him? :lol: So cute!


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## csimkunas6

Another warm day! Of course I took advantage, tacked up Rodeo and went for a short ride around the property a bit. Of course Squishy galloped around having a blast again!

PopTart....Rodeo is fine with him galloping around but would rather Squishy didnt go out of sight Hahah

Squishy was back to his normal self, he came to the side door for a peppermint, and then proceeded to the back sliding door for another one LOL. As long as he doesnt become nippy, I dont mind him having a treat or two throughout the day, he seems to really like mints! 

Since I didnt do much with Squishy besides petting him all over, Ill probably use tomorrow and work with him tomorrow instead of Rodeo. I do have to say, its incredibly nice to be able to focus on my own personal horses vs being a barn manager and having to worry about everyone elses horses! Anyways....pics!!!


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## csimkunas6

*2mo Since Adoption Day!*

Its been 2mo since we brought little fluffyball Squishy home! I measured him again last night, hasnt grown since I last measured, still 10.2hh. Although I suspect he's smaller without all his fluff. Was extremely windy last night so besides just a good brushing and check up on the horses, nothing else was done.

Today we have a winter weather advisory and a wind chill advisory, currently 5 degrees with a real feel of -5. Once it reaches the negatives, the water spicket on the house freezes, theres another one set up aways from the house but no electric near it, so would freeze rather quickly so lugging water buckets from the house to fill the trough it is. I dont mind, theyre super drinkers and Id rather they drink good in this weather than not so no complaints here.

In this weather, they usually just hang out in the run in out of the wind eating the round bale. They are really enjoying this round bale, mixture must be one that they prefer, its an alfalfa/grass mix. I have another one being held for me and with the look of the forecast, Im glad I did reserve another one! 

Supposed to get anywhere from 4"-8" just tonight and more later in the week, poor little Squishy will probably get lost LOL....if the temps would just warm up into the 20s Id be happy, regardless of snow. Anyways, happy 2 mo adoption day to Squishy!


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## csimkunas6

*Video *


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## JoBlueQuarter

Awww, he's such a personable little fellow, reminds me a lot of Heidi <3 And I know I say this so much lol, but *Rodeo is so pretty!!!!*


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## chanciesmom

I am new here- but was apalled at the moms hooves. Iam 73 yo- i twit if my horses go 10 weeks without a trim-and we are retired and on a fixed income, for us it is $40 every time the farrier trims chancie- but that is the cost. he is not shod as he is not ridden any more on the roads.


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## csimkunas6

chanciesmom said:


> I am new here- but was apalled at the moms hooves. Iam 73 yo- i twit if my horses go 10 weeks without a trim-and we are retired and on a fixed income, for us it is $40 every time the farrier trims chancie- but that is the cost. he is not shod as he is not ridden any more on the roads.




Oh yeah, they were very bad when the rescue got her. They still have her and are still working on her feet on a regular basis, luckily they rescued the mom and Squishy when he was just 2 days old so he didnt have to suffer unlike his mother and herd mates


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## PoptartShop

OMG THE VIDEO!!!!!!!!! I cannot deal right now! How freaking cute!!!!!!   Awwww!!! I am gonna watch that like 10x! He makes my days! :lol: So adorable. Wow, that is a lot of snow coming. He probably will blend right in. :rofl: So fluffy.

Happy 2mo anniversary with Squishy! <3


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## csimkunas6

PoptartShop said:


> OMG THE VIDEO!!!!!!!!! I cannot deal right now! How freaking cute!!!!!!   Awwww!!! I am gonna watch that like 10x! He makes my days! :lol: So adorable. Wow, that is a lot of snow coming. He probably will blend right in. :rofl: So fluffy.
> 
> Happy 2mo anniversary with Squishy! <3


Haha...I need to get some more videos, that one is pretty pathetic haha....thank you!


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## csimkunas6

It was absolutely gorgeous today! Close to if not 30 F! Sun was warm and no wind, so really nice! Since my kids have been cooped up, they got to go and play so didnt give me much time to play with Squishy but I messed with him a bit. He's pretty nasty, cant wait to give him a bath once its warm enough! He's sweaty, and appeared to have slept on a poop pillow LOL. 

I tried getting a video of them playing but of course as soon as I grabbed the camera, they stopped so got this one instead. He's so obnoxiously friendly, he is in fact getting a bit nippy on occasion so will be taking care of that presto! Luckily its really not bad and its just in the beginning stages so Ill get that stopped before it becomes an issue.

Supposed to get anywhere from 1-6 inches of snow tonight, and the same tomorrow night and temps are dropping again, -18 F one night, and over the weekend a high of -5F. Weather man is giving me hope that its supposed to warm up sometime next week so we'll see!


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## ACinATX

Happy belated two month anniversary! Looking at the most recent pictures I realized one reason Squishy is so cute. I mean, obviously the fuzz factor, but also he seems to always have a little smile on his face. So cute! And SQUISHABLE!


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## csimkunas6

ACinATX said:


> Happy belated two month anniversary! Looking at the most recent pictures I realized one reason Squishy is so cute. I mean, obviously the fuzz factor, but also he seems to always have a little smile on his face. So cute! And SQUISHABLE!


Thank you! Yes! His smile! LOL My dad lives in Florida, and has only seen pics as well but he noticed that from Day 1, lol I didnt notice it until he mentioned it to me LOL


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## PoptartShop

YAY for more videos!!!!!!  Awww!!! Gosh, Squishy & Rodeo really are the cutest pair! Look at them walking side by side together! Best buds! <3 Squishy looks so tiny though LOL! So cute how Rodeo stops, then Squishy catches up, stops, then they both move towards the camera. :lol: Toooooo cute!!!!!!!!


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## csimkunas6

PoptartShop said:


> YAY for more videos!!!!!!  Awww!!! Gosh, Squishy & Rodeo really are the cutest pair! Look at them walking side by side together! Best buds! <3 Squishy looks so tiny though LOL! So cute how Rodeo stops, then Squishy catches up, stops, then they both move towards the camera. :lol: Toooooo cute!!!!!!!!


They're into everything, all I had to do was kneel down and they came right over LOL....yes, Squishy is pretty small. Still at 10.2hh Hahaha. Last I string tested, it measured 11.2in, so if that turns out correct, he'll only grow another 4 inches or so. If thats the case, the rescue was wayyy off with their estimate of 14hh. Id love if he got to 13hh but not looking like it but then again, he's only 9 months old so theres plenty of time for him to grow over the next several years! 

With how tall my oldest daughter is, she might end up being too tall for him once he's reached maturity, might end up being more for my youngest daughter. Oh well, we love him regardless and hes not going anywhere! 

Did have a talk with hubby about another horse though, not sure when but we'll probably get another from the rescue we got Squishy from. Its been super rewarding getting Squishy. We've already planned for 3 stalls in the barn so 3 horses it will be HAHAHA! Or 2 and a half with Squishy! LOL


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## PoptartShop

I love how interactive they are! It's adorable!  They are just the cutest. LOL he is so tiny, but I think it's so cute! Omg I chuckled at 2 & a half with Squishy :rofl: I would definitely get your next horse from there. Squishy is definitely a blessing and is turning out so amazing! And um, who can resist such a fluffball?!!!


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## csimkunas6

PoptartShop said:


> I love how interactive they are! It's adorable!  They are just the cutest. LOL he is so tiny, but I think it's so cute! Omg I chuckled at 2 & a half with Squishy :rofl: I would definitely get your next horse from there. Squishy is definitely a blessing and is turning out so amazing! And um, who can resist such a fluffball?!!!


I love it! Although there are times when I wish they were'nt so nosey, there are def times where it would be much more helpful if they were'nt so "helpful" LOL But I wouldnt trade it for anything!

Oh yeah, my husband is always telling me that we have one and a half horses that Squishy cant count as a full horse since, as my husband calls him, is a "mini" which is not the case as I did see both his mother and father LOL

I do think he'll be rideable for my kids once said and done, time will tell though!


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## csimkunas6

Wasnt planning on doing much with Squishy today but the sun was warm and the temp was close to 30F so wanted to work with him a bit. He was great for haltering, I walked him over to the trailer and tied him up. Walked into the barn to grab some brushes. Was the first time I left him tied alone. He did super! I ended up walking away several more times but staying close by and kept an eye on him. So proud of how well he did!

He picked his feet up for me as I ran my hand down each of his legs, was truly just the perfect little gentlemen today! Probably wont do much with him overt he next few days but absolutely thrilled with how well he did today! Here are some pics of them headed down to the round bale early this evening


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## LoriF

Ah, the cute little grass eating polar bear.


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## csimkunas6

@ LoriF....hahah, your comment literally made my day! LOL, everytime I saw him today thats all I could think about, "grass eating polar bear" LOL

Well, its official, Ive completely lost my mind, -1F with a real feel of -15 and I talked myself into riding. Granted, it was bareback, only with a halter and lead rope and only lasted about 5min before I couldnt move, but I rode LOL

I attempted to hop on in the barn but the block wasnt big enough, I ended up putting the block next to Squishy and had my leg hovering over his back to see his reaction, nothing today. 

I ended up walking out into the front yard and using a rock to get on, Squishy "helped" and was showing me the low/high spots to use....looking forward to Spring!

Ignore the gigantic-ness of my coat...my dad gave it to me since it didnt fit him, why he thought a 3XL would fit me when its too big for him I have no clue haha


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## PoptartShop

OMG the picture of him looking down & then eating is so cute!! :lol: Hey, I don't blame you! It's hard not to ride! I'm glad you at least got on. Squishy is so good! Nothing seems to phase him.  Rodeo looks so handsome. & he looks comfy, I bet he is a nice ride bareback!
I'm sure the over-sized coat kept you warm, so that's a plus right?! :rofl: Gosh, I still can't get over how cute Squishy is!!!!!!!


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## csimkunas6

*Squishy the Unicorn*

So before we got Squishy, we were looking at all of our choices that the rescue had. The second my daughter saw Squishy she yelled " its a unicorn!" And since then she has been beyond obsessed with unicorns. Plan was to buy a horn for my daughter for Squishy to wear for her birthday or for Christmas, well my daughter kept talking to my mom about unicorns so she gave it and this adorable purple horn was delivered today....

I braved -20 F to get these photos....Squishy wouldnt leave my side at first and then I struggled tromping through the snow when they decided they were done and wanted to go back to eating hay and I had to chase them down to get the halter and horn back off...but Im pretty happy with the turnout. Once it warms up my daughter will go out and I can get some pics of them together again


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## egrogan

Ahhhhhh the running unicorn pictures.....

I only wish a car full of little girls had been driving past your house in that moment- how would those unsuspecting parents have explained it?! :blueunicorn:


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## SummerBliss

Squishy is just so adorable! The horn suits him quite well lol


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## PoptartShop

OH MY GOODNESS THAT IS THE CUTEST THING EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Made my Tuesday morning!
Squishy with a unicorn horn! Omg! How adorable! Look at him strutting around. LOL, he is just so cute! Rodeo looks like he is having fun too!
Gosh, he is just the cutest.


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## csimkunas6

Thanks all! Cant wait until it warms up so I can get some pics of my daughter with him and his horn! I think they'll be adorable! My mom seems to think my daughter could sit on him for pictures! HAHAHAHAHA Not only does she not get that Squishy is only 9mo and way too young, hes not even close to ready for that, I mean, come on, hes 9mo old...no way, no how are any of my kids sitting on him yet.

Anyways....me and hubby have been talking, originally the plan was to get a third horse that an adult could ride but after thinking some more, we're going to hold off longer. We were going to get a third when the barn was finished, we're still going to have 3 stalls eventually. So the current plan is to build the 2 stalls, and tack room and still have the area for the third so we can build it in later rather than sooner LOL

The more I thought on it the more I realized that as much as Id love to have another horse, with having a 9mo old, a 2yr old, and a 4yr old not to mention we moved here right before winter so we havent had a whole lot of time to get everything set up how we like...so eventually there will be a third but for now it'll be Rodeo and Squishy


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## akihba

That is too cute for words!!!


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## csimkunas6

@akihba Thank you!

Once again, didnt plan on doing anything with Squishy but they were around the house ALL day long. Any time we'd look out the door they would be there LOL. I ended up going out to feed dinner, and although it was only 15 F, the sun was so nice and warm and there was no wind!

Next thing I know, Im brushing and picking out feet all without halter or lead ropes. Both Squishy and Rodeo were just soaking up the sun, falling asleep and enjoying being pampered. Sitting here thinking about it....Id say they were tired from their rough housing this morning...pics below!

Overall even though we didnt do much, it was nice that I was able to pick Squishy's feet, comb his mane and tail, and brush his fluff back in the right direction without needing a halter/lead rope! Its also pretty amazing how much Squishy feeds off Rodeo, his mood seems to match Rodeo which has made everything quite easier!


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## PoptartShop

How cute are they playing!!! Awww!! I love it. And such funny faces, LOL! :rofl: So darn cute. I like that Squishy feeds off Rodeo. They really do balance each other out. I enjoy your posts/pictures so much. Really make my day!


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## csimkunas6

*Naughty Squishy!*

Oh Squishy....I knew his naughty devil like pony side was bound to come out sooner rather than later. Ive noticed Squishy playing with Rodeo more and more lately, being the main one to start it as well. 

After my husband got home today we took the kids out to the barn. Of course Rodeo and Squishy heard the door and were there waiting for us to walk through the other door. All was fine and good until Squishy started invading my daughter's space and got up almost like he wanted to run her over except he was walking. Immediately I grabbed him, of course all I grabbed was fluff and pulled him away. I grabbed his halter and lead rope and proceeded to try to catch the little s**t for about 5min or so. Was probably super comical to watch as the snow is a good 8"+ and Im not the tallest or fastest, Im sure it was even funnier as Squishy ran around the front of the house followed by myself, who was being followed by Rodeo, he was trotting along behind me....

Once I got him haltered he proceeded with acrobatic rears into the area, one after the other....got him settled down and we worked on what personal space was. Ended on a really well note, I had my daughter lead Squishy around the house. I hooked up a second lead rope on the side of his halter and walked along in case the little devil came out in him again. He did great, she fell a few times due to the snow and he'd instantly stop and wait until she got back up and waited patiently for her to walk forward again.

Temps are warming up, and if Id have to guess Id say some balls are getting ready to drop. Im actually curious as to why they havent yet, Rodeo was gelded at 9mo but as with everything each horse or pony is different. So overall a bit disappointed in the little s**t but sitting and really thinking on it, I havent been doing a whole lot with him and with how cold its been my kids havent been around him probably in a good 3 weeks if not more. On the plus side, he's not skiddish of the kids anymore.

Here's a pic of the duo from this morning


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## egrogan

^^Looks like a picture from a calendar!


I guess it's good he's a little thing when he's testing boundaries because you can basically just pick him up and tell him to stop it! In all seriousness though, love how he's so reasonable and seems to understand what he needs to do differently once he's told. What a gem.


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## csimkunas6

@egrogan....it was super nice this morning! Was hoping they would move a bit more than the last 10ft from the barn but oh well, Im happy with that pic 

Hahaha....yes his size turns out to be quite nice when hes being naughty! LOL Def gives me a little bit of an advantage although the little ****** is still stronger than me. Yeah, overall Im happy had he was at the end of today but was def disappointed with him being so "forward" so to speak Haha


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## LoriF

These two just have soooo much fun!!!


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## akihba

He's still a baby that's learning, so I wouldn't be too disappointed about him being "forward", especially since he seems to have understood what you asked of him afterwards.  I bet he'll be a great pony for your kids!


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## csimkunas6

LoriF said:


> These two just have soooo much fun!!!


Oh gosh, they def do! LOL, theyre constantly playing, everything is a game at this point! LOL



akihba said:


> He's still a baby that's learning, so I wouldn't be too disappointed about him being "forward", especially since he seems to have understood what you asked of him afterwards.  I bet he'll be a great pony for your kids!


Very true! He's very young still and considering how unsure he was of my kids just a few short months ago, he's came extremely far! I think so too! He's such a fun little snot to be around! He's basically like a fourth kid for me! Always into everything we are into lol


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## csimkunas6

Today was a stunning 34 F and sunny! Felt sooo warm! Despite the 3" of snow we got last night, it was so nice to be out! My husband got off work early so I grabbed Squishys halter and went to get him. Overall he's been relatively easy to catch, well yesterday and today hes been awful! I ended up just sitting down and he came right up and was fine but something Im going to have to work on a little bit again.

I tied him to the trailer and went into the barn for some brushes while keeping a close eye on him still. Brushed him up a little bit, his mane is so white and just glistens in the sun, its super pretty! I did check and see if he dropped since I had him tied up and the kids were with my husband, he does have one testicle that has dropped. Im hoping that his other one is just behind the other, regardless Ill be waiting until spring to get him cut so fingers crossed that the other is on its way!


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## csimkunas6

Pretty nice day today, about 30 F with a slight breeze. Ive been working with Squishy basically every time I go outside. My dog doesnt do well in cooler temps or snow and he wants to eat Squishy, so I always go out with him and put him in his outside dog play area, while Im out there Ive been getting Squishy's halter and lead rope and catching him, petting on him all over, finding more of his itchy spots and then letting him go again. 

I looked out the back window this afternoon and saw a group of mule deer so grabbed the camera and off I went! I of course got distracted by a Squishy but he came right up to me with his halter and lead in my hand so he's back to himself! Really I think he was unsure of what happened the other day when he became too "curious" with my daughter. I feel as if we backtracked just slightly but since then I think we are right where we left off before the incident. I keep trying to replay what was happening in my head, part of me believes he had ears pinned and was acting almost aggressively but at the same time, it all happened so fast Im really not 100% sure. Regardless he was too close to the kids so he seems to understand personal space now 

Pictures!! Snow is melting a little each day, hoping it doesnt end up a muddy mess, supposed to get to about 40 F tomorrow, Tuesday, and Wednesday!!!!!

Ignore the mess in the pics....they got a new round bale mid Feb and the tumbo's have it just about demolished now.


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## PoptartShop

I love the pictures. Look at that face & all that fluff!!!   
It's great how much you work with him. Consistency is key! It makes sense that he is right back where you left off now. You are doing so well with him!

Finally some decent weather!! Ahhhhh I don't want him to start shedding all that fluff yet. LOL!!


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## csimkunas6

PoptartShop said:


> I love the pictures. Look at that face & all that fluff!!!
> It's great how much you work with him. Consistency is key! It makes sense that he is right back where you left off now. You are doing so well with him!
> 
> Finally some decent weather!! Ahhhhh I don't want him to start shedding all that fluff yet. LOL!!


His face is so adorable! My mom called and asked me yesterday "are you sure he's of the equine species?" LOL She thinks he looks like a llama!! To me he looks like a Welsh pony, of what I know of them anyways. My neighbor had one and they have pretty similar looks well if you can compare a 30yr old bay pony to a 9mo old grey pony. lol.

Im so ready for nice and shiny coats! LOL, Although I do like his fluff, Im super excited to see what Im dealing with underneath!


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## egrogan

Part-Welsh, part polar bear?? He looks extra white in the most recent pictures.


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## csimkunas6

egrogan said:


> Part-Welsh, part polar bear?? He looks extra white in the most recent pictures.


Hahaha!! Pretty much! Polar bear has a strong influence!  I have no clue how he's staying so clean although at the moment, there arent many places for him to get dirty. He does have this one area on the back of his rear leg and a bit above his tail that is more colored, makes me wonder if he has a spot there?! Ill have to try and take a pic of it


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## Kriva

Squishy is so incredibly cute!! And the way him and Rodeo play together is great. It looks like they both enjoy each other very much. You definitely got a prize when you got Squishy. I'm looking forward to seeing what he looks like without the full fur, but he's so adorable looking like a yak.


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## csimkunas6

Kriva said:


> Squishy is so incredibly cute!! And the way him and Rodeo play together is great. It looks like they both enjoy each other very much. You definitely got a prize when you got Squishy. I'm looking forward to seeing what he looks like without the full fur, but he's so adorable looking like a yak.


Thank you! Yes, Rodeo and him are quite the duo! Rodeo is super careful and gentle while playing with him which I find pretty comical as Squishy is getting more rough as the days go on. Rodeo was laying down sleeping the other day and Squishy went over and started pawing at him until he got up, was pretty funny to watch!


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## SummerBliss

Aw, he looks like a little cloud on legs in those pics xD 

Also sounds like he's starting to learn about some boundaries. I wouldn't worry too much about his attitude after being corrected. I had a gelding that after I went at him for trying to bite me, he pouted and gave me the cold shoulder for nearly 3 days to the point I thought I'd misread the situation and now had to back track or something. But once he was done sulking, he was right back to his old self but listened a bit better after that lol
Point is, don't worry too much about it. If Squishy is like that gelding I worked with, he could just be sulking/rebelling slightly from being corrected. My gelding pouted for nearly 3 full days before he acted like himself again. It's the same as when you discipline kids and they decide that they "hate" you for a little bit xD Sounds like you're still making great progress with him though! He's definitely come a long ways since you first got him and continues to get cuter by the day


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## csimkunas6

SummerBliss said:


> Aw, he looks like a little cloud on legs in those pics xD
> 
> Also sounds like he's starting to learn about some boundaries. I wouldn't worry too much about his attitude after being corrected. I had a gelding that after I went at him for trying to bite me, he pouted and gave me the cold shoulder for nearly 3 days to the point I thought I'd misread the situation and now had to back track or something. But once he was done sulking, he was right back to his old self but listened a bit better after that lol
> Point is, don't worry too much about it. If Squishy is like that gelding I worked with, he could just be sulking/rebelling slightly from being corrected. My gelding pouted for nearly 3 full days before he acted like himself again. It's the same as when you discipline kids and they decide that they "hate" you for a little bit xD Sounds like you're still making great progress with him though! He's definitely come a long ways since you first got him and continues to get cuter by the day


Very possible thats what he was doing!! LOL, It was about 2days before he was back to his normal self again! He's back like nothing happened but is giving everyone their space now so it was needed for sure!

Squishy's father will be listed for adoption very soon! He's stunning! We've been doing research on rabbits a lot lately. Thanks to myself, my daughter is obsessed! Granted we won't be getting any until August, so gives us plenty of time to do some searching on them. On top of that, my husband started talking to a woman at his work about sheep, so possibly we'll have some baby sheep as well! To be honest, I really wouldnt mind having a little farm, a few chickens, a few sheep, goats, a cow or two....LOL We'll see what happens!

Weather is looking up! Supposed to get an inch or two of snow tomorrow but after that temps are looking like they'll stay in the 40s during the day and 20s at night! Yay! My husband's car was just fixed and we get to pick it up today...going to Wal-Mart tomorrow which is an hour or so away, hopefully Ill get some pony time in over the next few days!


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## csimkunas6

Gorgeous day today! Was close to 50F!!!! It was incredible! Snow still here of course and still fairly deep in spots but its melting. Supposed to get more tomorrow though LOL

Squishy did super well today! Caught and haltered him with no issues, I threw my daughter's saddle on him and he walked in a small circle and I took it off, did well. I tied him up and let him hang out there for about 15min. He's been doing well with no mouthiness towards us, but is chewing anything and everything he can, door knob, gymset, boxes, anything and everything. Fun

After the kids went to bed I went back outside, so nice having my husband home in the evenings, and took a shedding blade to him....white balls of fluff every where! Haha, looks like a bunch of dust bunnies all over the place. Rodeo isnt shedding but his coat is no where near as thick as Rodeo's and he sheds a bit funky some years. But Squish did really well, seems to really enjoy getting brushed! 

Hoping the snow continues to melt slowly so we dont get too much mud!


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## PoptartShop

Awww, yay for some nice weather. 50 degrees is awesome!!  It's like 60F here today...I can't even believe it. :lol: 

So glad Squishy is continuing to do well! What a good boy getting saddled up! Bahaha, oh gotta love the chewing phase haha. So playful though.
Omg, I'm sure you could stuff teddy bears with all that fluff! :rofl:


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## csimkunas6

PoptartShop said:


> Awww, yay for some nice weather. 50 degrees is awesome!!  It's like 60F here today...I can't even believe it. :lol:
> 
> So glad Squishy is continuing to do well! What a good boy getting saddled up! Bahaha, oh gotta love the chewing phase haha. So playful though.
> Omg, I'm sure you could stuff teddy bears with all that fluff! :rofl:


Thanks PoptartWow...60F! Cant remember what thats like! LOL

I pulled a back muscle a few months back, it was finally pretty much healed up when I was playing with my kids and apparently got up too fast and pulled it again....with that being said, Im going to take a break from the HF.

Garage to barn conversion is starting to take place, and Squishy continues to do well with everything we work with him on. Ill periodically visit here but until I return hope everyone gets plenty of riding in and nice weather to do so in!

Here's some pics from today....


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## csimkunas6

Squishy's shedding quite a bit as is Rodeo. Pretty sure Squishy will be pretty white underneath but we'll see. He's been doing super well! Walks over tarps like a pro, stands tied like he's been doing it for years and just been overall pretty good. He is naughty around the kids, has gotten pretty mouthy in a sense and will try to nip at them occasionally. 

Barn plans are still coming along, had to change a few things but we're very excited for it! Just waiting for it to warm up a bit and stay warm which its starting to I believe! Near 60 F today and the rest of the week. A lot of water and of course melting snow of course. Looking forward to having Squishy gelded and looking forward to nice weather! Happy Spring!


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## akihba

His tiny hooves look so delicate and adorable haha! And the photo of the horses rolling is priceless  Happy Spring to you! I'm super loving the weather here, too.


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## egrogan

Yes, love the rolling!


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## PoptartShop

Ouch, hope your back feels better. :sad: Pulling a muscle is no joke.

Yeah...60F lasted a day, now it's back to 40's/50's but I'm OK with that. :lol: Glad you are finally getting some 60 degree weather! Squishy is adorable as always. <3
Love the rolling pictures, look at those two! Look at those cute little hooves! He is still so fluffy despite the shedding! Maybe he thinks 'oh they're little like me (the kids), I shall nip them!' lol.


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## csimkunas6

akihba said:


> His tiny hooves look so delicate and adorable haha! And the photo of the horses rolling is priceless  Happy Spring to you! I'm super loving the weather here, too.


His hooves are sooo itty bitty! Haha, every time I pick one its like how adorable is this?! Thank you! They were quite entertaining today!



egrogan said:


> Yes, love the rolling!


Same! Both can roll all the way over, quite funny to watch the two of them!



PoptartShop said:


> Ouch, hope your back feels better. :sad: Pulling a muscle is no joke.
> 
> Yeah...60F lasted a day, now it's back to 40's/50's but I'm OK with that. :lol: Glad you are finally getting some 60 degree weather! Squishy is adorable as always. <3
> Love the rolling pictures, look at those two! Look at those cute little hooves! He is still so fluffy despite the shedding! Maybe he thinks 'oh they're little like me (the kids), I shall nip them!' lol.


Supposed to be close to if not 60F for as long as the forecast shows! Granted, its still dropping into the low to mid 20s at night lol but ill take it!

Thank you, and so very possible! He's like a kid himself if every aspect! lol....but overall is good when it counts!


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## csimkunas6

Weather continues to be amazing and Squishy continues to shed! Worked with him and a tarp earlier in the week, he over comes his fears quickly and within 5min he was wearing the tarp on his back! 

My daughter got a super early b-day present, its a trike that is able to be pushed around, wasnt sure what Squish would think of it, well he thought nothing of it! With the warmer weather the kids have been out more, which has been great for de-sensitizing! At this point there isnt much that Squishy is concerned about! He has become a bit nippy so Ive been working on that and hes becoming less nippy. Every night he ground ties and gets a complete check over and groom, he truly enjoys it! 

We have these little cactus ball things, no clue what theyre actually called but Squishy has one stuck on his lips yesterday, he proved to be a very good boy and one pull and the thorns were out and he went on grazing. Overall he has proven to be very good, and very trusting! 

Garage to barn renovation is coming along finally! We have the garage all cleaned out from the previous owners finally and are ready to get started! Our local Ace hardware is going to start carrying lumber and building supplies so thatll be a huge relief to have supplies only 10min away vs an hour away!


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## PoptartShop

So happy you've had some good weather.  Omg, crazy not seeing any snow on the ground! LOL.
He is definitely shedding, but still so cute!!!! <3 The picture with your daughter on the trike is too adorable for words. And yay for spring cleaning!! 

Rodeo looks huge compared to Squishy in the last picture. :lol: Just so cute!!


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## Walkamile

Enjoying the photos of the "boys"! OMG!!! There is an adorable little pony under all that fluff!! Can't wait for the final reveal! Thanks for posting, so love the pics!


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## csimkunas6

Been pretty busy here since Spring has arrived and decided to stay! We have decided not to build in stalls into the garage this year, maybe we'll do it next year but a round pen is much needed at the moment. Of course they have two shelters still so that won't change.

Squishy has his days LOL. He'll be super for a few and then awful for a few, he did kick at my daughter a few days ago so not thrilled about that but overall he's pretty well behaved around them.

I had to get him a new halter yesterday, no clue what size he came with but he is now wearing a Pony sized halter! He continues to shed like crazy and absolutely loves his grooming sessions! Besides that and him being only 10mo old there's only so much I do with the little booger and not having tack small enough for him. Will probably work on ground driving sooner or later but just letting him grow up for the most part.


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## PoptartShop

There is Mr. Squishy!! :lol: I love that color blue on him. A roundpen will be good, the stalls can wait even though I'm sure that is exciting! But it'll be nice to have another area to work them in.

Even though he's shedding, he still looks extra fluffy! I love it. 
He is so adorable. You can't stay mad at him I'm sure, haha, he is so cute!


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## Caledonian

He really suits the blue headcollar and he still looks like a fluff ball despite shedding LOL. The grooming must be reaching all the itchy bits and loose hair! 

I agree that it's hard to be annoyed with that face but i bet those tiny hooves can still pack a punch if they connect.


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## csimkunas6

Trying this post again since my computer stopped working after I wrote a long post LOL

Squishy's been doing super well! Had a hard time catching him again for a day or so but wasnt too bad and has been easy since, he's pretty nippy at the moment which is driving me insane but he's getting better the more I mess with him.

Ive done quite a bit with him in the last week, worked on standing for grooming, ground tying, tying, disengaging hind quarters, leading, giving to pressure, backing up, picking up feet, went for a walk off the property, and even attempted to lunge at a walk. Lunging in general def needs some work but Im not really too concerned with him being good at it with him being so young still. 

His mom was put up as available for adoption today! Sadly due to how horrific her feet were, she is only pasture pet sound. Hopefully she gets a great home but I think itll take some time, although I could be wrong! 

Weather wise its been super nice! We had a huge fire the next town over, about 15mi away, it burned over 1700 acres in a day! Was a really bad fire, which is why Im going to stick to just Rodeo and Squishy with just having the 2 horse trailer!

Woke up this morning to a good 2-3" of snow on the ground! It was a nasty wet slushy mess too! Squishy looked pretty funny, he hung out in the barn quite a bit this morning and dried off, even took a nap and a roll and ended up quite filthy, but a quick brush after his nastiness dried and he was as good as new!


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## JoBlueQuarter

Awwww those pictures with Rodeo <3 Absolutely adorable. And I cannot get over how fast he's growing! Growing into such a refined little head <3


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## csimkunas6

JoBlueQuarter said:


> Awwww those pictures with Rodeo <3 Absolutely adorable. And I cannot get over how fast he's growing! Growing into such a refined little head <3


Yes! Very refined, cute pony like head! Reminds me so much of a Welsh Pony, which is what the rescue said he was crossed with, I just dont see the Pryor Mustang part lol. Oh well, regardless he'll be great for the kids with time. There are a few people that train ponies for kids, thinking about sending him off to one is 3-4 years, we'll see.


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## PoptartShop

Gosh, the pictures with Rodeo get me every time! SUPER adorable!!! I love the one where they're facing opposite directions. LOL. Squishy's face is like, I got this, I'm on guard! :lol: Love the picture of him running too. Such a happy little guy! Ugh, the snow didn't stay gone forever! I'm glad he is doing well!! They are the cutest pair.


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## csimkunas6

*11hh!!!!!*

Weather hasnt been too awesome lately, just kind of dreary. Of course as soon as the weather changed a few days ago and was nice, I started work and wasnt able to enjoy it. I took a part time job offer in town, only want to work 3-4 days a week but am looking forward to the extra money! Who doesnt?!

With that being said, I was off today so went and messed with Squishy today! He came right up to me, I used a curry comb and got a ton of hair off! He loved that! My daughter wanted to "train" Rodeo, so I went and grabbed Squishy's halter, he stood patiently and let me halter him, and was overall a very good boy today! Only tried to nip me one time so Im happy with that! We got around to measuring him too! He is 11hh!!!! Im thrilled! Despite the rescue saying he'd mature at 14hh, his parents aren't that tall and I didnt see it, last I measured his knee to coronet band, it was 11.2" long, with Squish only being 10.5mo Im pretty confident that he will grow more than 2" over the next few years! LOL


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## 3Horses2DogsandaCat

I haven't seen this thread until today. Squishy is adorable!!!


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## LoriF

Now he looks like normal horse fuzzy instead of a polar bear. Cutest pony in the world award for him. I sure hope that his mama finds a soft spot to be.


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## csimkunas6

3Horses2DogsandaCat said:


> I haven't seen this thread until today. Squishy is adorable!!!


Glad you found it! Thank you!!



LoriF said:


> Now he looks like normal horse fuzzy instead of a polar bear. Cutest pony in the world award for him. I sure hope that his mama finds a soft spot to be.


Yes! He actually looks like a pony haha! My family thought he looked like a llama LOL. Thank you! He's not quite as cute with how naughty he's been but its a day to day thing....same! She's been at the rescue since June 2018, she was super skittish and timid when I saw her in December, rescue will make sure she gets into a good home


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## csimkunas6

My goal was to have a part time job that works around my husband's schedule, while I did find one, its turning more into a full time job which will of course be nice money wise but not so nice pony time wise. Lately Ive worked a half hour after my husband gets home the past 4 days, its been a nice break from 24/7 time with my kids (everyone needs a break lol), but with Squishy being more on the naughty side I cant really do a whole lot with him when Im with the kids alone. 

Well today I decided even though I had the kids, I wanted to just get some loose hair off, I ended up finding a huge tick inbetween his front legs, totally grossed me out and was by far the biggest tick Ive ever seen, probably a little bit smaller than a dime but disgusting regardless, well that turned into a complete pat down for ticks, didnt find any more on Squishy but found more than I wanted to on Rodeo. I have some of the EquiSpot bug stuff but didnt have the box so wanted to make sure it was safe on Squishy before I put it on (better safe than sorry!) So I grabbed some Bronco fly spray until tomorrow when Ill be off and can apply it on both, but I am beyond excited with how Squishy did with the fly spray! Literally no reaction to it what so ever!!! How awesome is that!?

Its strange to say though, Squishy is much better behaved if I space the days I work with him, every other day or even every few days and he is fantastic, work with him everyday and he's naughty! Super interesting to me! I have the next two days off after tonight, and the weather is supposed to be half way decent so should get some pics and maybe even give Squish a bath!


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## LoriF

I absolutely HATE ticks.

I've also found that horses seem to absorb things shown to them pretty well when they have a few days to take it in.


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## PoptartShop

Ugh, ticks are horrible. :sad: Poor Rodeo too!  Glad Squishy was so good with the fly spray. That is huge!!!  Especially not being exposed to that before! That's awesome.
LOL that is funny though. Maybe he needs a day to absorb everything? Oooh and if you give him a bath, take pictures!! I wonder how he will do with the hose?!


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## csimkunas6

Didnt get around to giving them a bath this week....I ended up getting called into work the day I had wanted to....looking like getting close to full time this week again. It'll be super nice paychecks though and again, they're working with my husband's schedule, it just hurts my pony time since I can only do so much while Im watching my kids as well but Squishy and Rodeo have been enjoying their grooming! Rodeo is actually shedding normal this year, and not all patchy as he's done in the past few years.

Squishy of course is still shedding quite a bit, but he did have one heck of a coat so is understandable. He continues to be great for catching, tying, loading and unloading on the trailer, standing tied, picking up feet and generally being messed with all over. He's not quite as nippy, actually he's no where near as nippy thankfully! Still only one testicle has dropped but given who actually knows if his nutritional needs were met before and right after birth, he might need more time. I did call my vet and they just told me to give it more time which is what I was expecting but just wanted to hear it from them of course.

Found an amazingly perfect place for a round pen! Its nice and flat, the one side along the round pen drops into a nice rolling hill but with plenty of planning, wont be a problem, the views though, are going to be incredible and I cannot wait to get the round pen up to start "playing" with the horses in there!

Pictures!!


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## PoptartShop

So glad Squishy is continuing to do well.  Yay for less nipping. I knew he'd get out of that phase eventually. He is SO cute. You can definitely tell he still has some shedding to do LOL, but he does look less fluffy! Still so adorable. Awesome about the roundpen! Flat ground and nice views? Sounds perfect to me! That is so exciting!!!


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## egrogan

Oh wow, there was an actual horse in there! He is looking so slicked up all of a sudden but just as cute as ever!


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## csimkunas6

PoptartShop said:


> So glad Squishy is continuing to do well.  Yay for less nipping. I knew he'd get out of that phase eventually. He is SO cute. You can definitely tell he still has some shedding to do LOL, but he does look less fluffy! Still so adorable. Awesome about the roundpen! Flat ground and nice views? Sounds perfect to me! That is so exciting!!!


Yes! So happy about less nipping! LOL. And yes, def has quite a bit more shedding to do! He actually had some spots it was just falling out as I scratched, could make cotton out of his hair! LOL



egrogan said:


> Oh wow, there was an actual horse in there! He is looking so slicked up all of a sudden but just as cute as ever!


Hahah! Yes, my family thinks he looks very much like a llama, but now that hes shedding, is appearing to be a pony lol


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## csimkunas6

Weather has been amazing, well while Im at home, the past few days it has started raining as Im leaving for work but I cant complain! Squishy continues to NOT nip at the moment, so I thought what better time to get some more pics with the kids?!

Of course my youngest is teething so we settled on Squishy, Kaleigh, and Kaleb pics....will have to get a new one of the whole group soon!

Anyways, Squishy was super! Didnt crowd the kids and when he did a quick finger point and he backed away! Proud of the little guy! He continues to shed like crazy, not surprising since we are expecting snow over the next few days!


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## PoptartShop

OMG those pictures are so adorable with the kiddos! <3
Blue is definitely Squishy's color, too. So glad he is doing better with personal space. And more snow?!!! Nooo!


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## csimkunas6

PoptartShop said:


> OMG those pictures are so adorable with the kiddos! <3
> Blue is definitely Squishy's color, too. So glad he is doing better with personal space. And more snow?!!! Nooo!


Thank you! I love them! I think Squishy is def a blue kind of pony lol, I love it on him! As for snow.....yes, started last night and wake up to this! Spring here is definitely interesting to say the least, and to think I was getting handfuls of hair off Squishy just yesterday! haha To add....its supposed to be 70F on Thursday!


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## PoptartShop

Wow more snow! They are sooo cute together running & playing. You take the best pictures! 
Well at least soon you will have some nice weather. 70 degrees will feel amazing!!!


----------



## csimkunas6

With both my husband and myself working again, things have been so much easier. What he makes covers all the monthly bills, so whatever I make is what we are able to use to save, and to buy other things that we need. 

A local Paint breeder posted her broodmares for sale, she had about 8 or so for sale, so I sent her a message. She had a 2005 Dark Bay Overo APHA mare that I really liked among a few others as well. I sent her a message and set up an appointment to go and see her May 8th. At the same time, Ive been having issues registering my trailer, it appears no one since the original owner has had it registered which leads me to having difficulties doing it myself without going through numerous steps to do so. So I listed it for sale, $500 obo. 

Now granted I paid $650 for the trailer, it has its issues, needs a new jack, needs a new wiring harness, needs a new ramp built, and it has a section where the spare used to hang that has rusted through to the inside, other than all that LOL, its a sturdy solid trailer. We were planning on fixing it ourselves but with the titling issue we dont want to put any more money into it. So I listed it, didnt figure anyone would be interested in a 42 year old trailer....well was I wrong! Within 5 min of the ad, I had 6 inquiries on the trailer. The first was asking if I'd trade, so I asked what for.....long story short I go and sign a contract for a straight trade for my 77 2-Horse trailer, as is condition for a March 2019 Registered Spanish Mustang Filly!

Ive completely lost my mind!! I go Sunday evening to sign a contract, let him look at the trailer, and for me to see the filly, filly's dam, and sire and make sure this trade is what the both of us want. Luckily, she wont be weaned for a few months still which will give me time to get an area fenced off for her since Squishy isnt gelded yet, which Im hoping I can get him done before the filly comes but regardless she'll have her own paddock for a few.

Another thing to add to the mix....I found a 4 horse trailer I plan on buying this month so that will help with my worries on needing something big enough to haul out incase a fire gets to close to us.

Now onto the reason for the thread....SQUISHY! He has his days, a few days ago he would not let me get anywhere near him with the halter/leadrope, fast forward to yesterday and he's putting his head into Rodeo's halter. He loves his grooming sessions! Yesterday he was lying down soaking up the sun, he let me come up beside him and rub all over him! Still shedding like crazy but he is as white as can be!


----------



## SummerBliss

Sounds like an eventful week! Hopefully all works out for you with the trade with the trailer and filly. Sounds like you'll have your hands full with two youngsters running around.


----------



## PoptartShop

Wow!!  Isn't that crazy how things can happen like that?! LOL. I hope all goes well.  And I hope you get the 4-horse trailer too, that'll be a nice upgrade. 

Fingers crossed the trade goes well. I agree, you'll definitely have your hands full, but you are already doing so well & making so much progress with Squishy, I don't see why the filly would be a problem at all.  Good luck!!! 

About Squishy, they sure do have their days. So funny. He is so darn cute, I bet he loved those rubs while he was sunbathing! It's awesome he stays so white too!!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter

That's just amazing!!! Crazy. Need like hourly updates on anything new happening :lol:


----------



## csimkunas6

Thanks all! Completely insane for sure, and not exactly what I was originally looking for, but I believe everything happens for a reason. Regardless if I bought the APHA mare, of this filly, a new trailer, and new paddock would have to go up since Squish isnt gelded yet. 

With everything going on, plans for a tractor are in the works as well, so looking like we're going to build stalls after all, a round pen of course, a new paddock, have to fence off the immediate back yard for the kids and dog, have to fix a rabbit hutch Rodeo and Squishy broke the day I put it together, still have to fence off a section for the rabbits, and of course get rabbits LOL.....just a lot going on!


----------



## csimkunas6

Well, the man that wanted to trade his filly for my trailer started to become very sketchy, started asking for money on top of the trailer which was no big deal initially, I expected as much but he continued to increase the amount he wanted me to pay. Just started to get a bad feeling about it all, too many red flags popping up, so I relisted the trailer, and its already pending pick-up on Wednesday, Im also going to look at a trailer Wednesday so will be a pretty busy day.

Re-thinking on the Paint Mare.....still undecided, but I did set up a time/day to go and see her, and Ill make my decision then. As for Squishy, hes extremely naughty! Rodeo bit me for the first time since I bought him 9years ago! Squishy reared up almost mounting Rodeo's side, so Rodeo spun his head around to bite Squish and got my arm instead, no mark, didnt even break the skin but I was not too thrilled! lol


----------



## PoptartShop

Oh gosh, glad you dodged that bullet. That's not good. What is wrong with people? :icon_rolleyes: I'm glad someone is already interested in the trailer again, hough, that is awesome!! 

As for the Paint mare, you will make the right choice. At least go and see her!
Oh gosh, Squishy! & Rodeo! Rodeo better cut it out! Squishy better not make him become naughty! Sheesh. Those boys! Glad your arm is OK, but still!


----------



## csimkunas6

I dont know whats going on with Squishy, but I havent been able to get catch him in a few days. Looking forward to the round pen being done! Also going to bring Squish to the vet once I get my new trailer to hopefully have him gelded, really hoping his naughtiness changes for the better since I havent been able to get him

For now, guess Ill go back to trying to halter him, and once done will just release him again....time will tell with the naughty little Squishy!


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## csimkunas6

And doesnt it figure....right after I posted, I was able to go up to Squishy while holding his halter and was able to catch him LOL.....I took the halter off after petting him all over, we'll see how tomorrow goes! Yay!


----------



## SummerBliss

Sounds like Squishy has some a touch of spring fever and entered the bratty stage lol. Hopefully it doesn't last too much longer and that gelding him helps.


----------



## csimkunas6

SummerBliss said:


> Sounds like Squishy has some a touch of spring fever and entered the bratty stage lol. Hopefully it doesn't last too much longer and that gelding him helps.


Very possible! Probably doesnt help the weather has been kind of nasty! Cold, mixed rain and snow and windy lately! Today is gorgeous though! 50 F, sunny, just the slightest breeze....I was able to go up to Squishy and halter him a few times already! Just a few days ago he didnt want a thing to do with me and today he was extremely curious and friendly as to what I was doing and just hung out. He'd follow me as I began digging holes for the fence posts that we're putting up for around the backyard. Super excited! 

Im really happy with Squishy today! I was pretty bummed the other day with him as I literally couldnt get within 10ft of him...who knows, maybe he was having a bad day, maybe I was sending bad signals, no clue. Regardless he seems to be his feisty, friendly normal self today!


----------



## csimkunas6

Squishy's his normal friendly self again, I dont know,maybe my expectations of the little guy were too high....although I havent been doing as much with him lately, maybe he needed a break. Anyways, my goal for Squish is to get him gelded, just have to wait on my trailer to be registered and what not, and just to let him grow up....if he wants to be a kids pony than he will, if he wants to just be a lovable companion, than he will....with that being said....he was super for pics today, it was everyone else that didnt cooperate lol...here's one from the day. My daughter is head over heels this little pony!


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## Walkamile

What a handsome boy he is , now that we can clearly see without all that thick plush winter coat! What fun you and your daughter will have this year!


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## PoptartShop

Awww Squishy!  He looks like he is getting bigger! So cute. I am glad he's back to his friendly, normal self. Maybe he did need a little mental break. Getting him gelded is a good idea, & he will do just fine no matter what he does! <3 He's a good boy!


----------



## ACinATX

Wow, he's gone from being a super adorable fuzzball to an super cute regular pony! Thanks for posting the picture, I was wondering what he would look like when he started shedding out. He looks great!


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## LoriF

He's so adorable, I love him. You're daughter has good taste.


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## csimkunas6

Thanks all! He is quite the cute little guy! He still has some fluff to lose along his back but overall has lost all of his fluffiness. He's been a joy to work with again lately! Been easy to halter, groom, back to standing tied, picking up feet great again! Just being a good pony! The more he shed's and grows, the more I see Welsh pony and no mustang to be honest, he's finely yet sturdy built. 

New trailer will be here Wednesday, its a 2 horse straight load and unlike the my previous trailer is a step up/no ramp, so that'll be new for Squishy. Once the trailer is here, Ill get it registered/titled and Squishy will have an appointment for his gelding. Im a bit nervous as Ive still only been able to find one dropped testicle, so hoping the vet will be able to find it! 

We've changed our building ideas yet again 😳 since the run in has 3 1212 stalls already, we're just going to build runs onto each one, doubt they'll ever be in there long term but with the new mare coming in a month or two and plans to eventually breed her down the road, I wanted something to separate them if needed. Also stuck on building a small arena or a round pen although I think a round pen will be the way we go.


----------



## csimkunas6

Update! Wow! Its been a minute! So much has happened since I last updated! I bought my new trailer, love it, we finished the fence in the back yard so Squishy and Rodeo cant stare into the back door any more! Lol! We started on the run ins for each stall for the run in shed, we're fencing in 16' by 12' sections for each stall, so they'll have 28' by 12' sections, which I doubt Ill use besides separating them when they eat.

I did call the vet, 2 actually to set up Squishy's gelding....one wants $350 since only one testicle has dropped, and they want Squishy at their facility for 2 days so he can fast.....does that sound right? Sounds kind of strange to me for a horse to go 2 days without any food for a gelding surgery?! Maybe Im wrong, the 2nd vet said to wait and see if the other one drops and if it hasnt dropped by the time he turns 2 then to have him gelded and have surgery to get the second testicle out.

Ahh! With that being said, my new mare was originally due to come here July 1st! My luck Squish will somehow manage to breed with her and Ill have a Squishy baby, not something I want.....so despite originally not wanting to breed her until Spring 2020, the breeder offered me a deal to have her bred to a perlino APHA stallion. Def not my choice of color by any means but besides the color is a well mannered, and well put together horse that has foals of various ages that I was able to take a look at. So July 1st Bella will be being bred instead of coming home, from what Ive researched, I have about 99% chance of a buckskin foal.

Squishy has been doing great! Is easy to catch, easy to halter, good for feet, tying, grooming, everything Ive done from the beginning he continues to excel in. He is starting to go through a lanky, ugly, yearling stage though! He is officially a year old June 3rd!!!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter

OH MY GOD. He's so GROWN UP. Gosh I didn't htink he'd ever look that HORSE-LIKE. What a pretty boy though!!!!!!! Look at that face <3 Ugh I love him :lol:


----------



## csimkunas6

JoBlueQuarter said:


> OH MY GOD. He's so GROWN UP. Gosh I didn't htink he'd ever look that HORSE-LIKE. What a pretty boy though!!!!!!! Look at that face <3 Ugh I love him :lol:


Hahaha!! Right!? My mom called after I posted these pics, she was like "Squishy doesnt look like a llama anymore"! Hahaha!! He's as friendly as can be too!


----------



## LoriF

Squishy is the cutest pony ever!!! He looks like his momma with those cute little ears. And, it sounds like he has the best personality.


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## PoptartShop

That's Squishy?!!!!!!!! Omg, wow! He is growing up! What a cutiepie, I do miss his fluff LOL but he is just as handsome as ever, without it! 
Sounds like you got a lot done, that is awesome! Ooooh a foal in the works! Can't wait to hear all about it! How exciting. I am so happy to hear Squishy is continuing to do well though. He is quite the character! What a lovely personality. <3

Happy birthday, Squishy!!!!!!!!!


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## csimkunas6

Thank you Poptart!

Squishy is officially one year old today! How much he has changed since not only his birth but the change in just the past 6mo we've owned him has been huge! Pics over the past year....


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## csimkunas6

Havent done a whole lot with Squishy, but then again, just how much more can I do with him at the moment?! He's a pro at standing unhaltered, no rope, nothing for fly spray, and I even saddled him the other day with my daughters saddle, he was a bit nervous but did really well, of course wasnt able to do the girth as I didnt have my pony girth on it, so will have to give that a try. Pics from today!


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## JoBlueQuarter

Oh gosh, he's so prettyyyyyy. Unbelievable change from the fluffy baby. Love him <3 He's gonna be an amazing pony, I'm sure.


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## akihba

He's so handsome now, wow! You've done a really great job with him. <3


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## LoriF

Beautiful!! Sorry I missed his birthday. Handsome little man


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## csimkunas6

Thanks all for the comments! Squishy is doing super! He freely stands for fly spray, stands and waits for me to approach him with a halter, stands quietly for grooming, and even put up with be frantically trying to get things together for a quick photo shoot as a unicorn with a rainbow that suddenly appeared and disappeared even faster! 

He's just a fun little guy with one heck of a personality on him! New mare Bella will arrive in approximately a month give or take, Im curious to see how Squishy takes to her as all the horses around here are geldings! Now....onto unicorn photos!


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## JoBlueQuarter

When I first saw the first picture I couldn't believe it was real. I was sure it was edited - just so perfect, every aspect. Beautiful.


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## csimkunas6

JoBlueQuarter said:


> When I first saw the first picture I couldn't believe it was real. I was sure it was edited - just so perfect, every aspect. Beautiful.


Thank you! Wish I had had more time with him as a unicorn before the rainbow disappeared but they turned out well enough  And no, sadly Im horrible at any editing or Photoshop besides basic cropping haha


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## PoptartShop

Squishy is just so cute, he's turning out to be such a handsome fella! <3 
I love the unicorn pictures LOL. What a model! I am so glad he is doing so well!!! You are doing great with him. Really! What a personality!


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## csimkunas6

Oh Squishy! He is just a super friendly little guy! I got my trailer all ready for Bella on Monday and he couldnt help but follow me around to "help". I ended up throwing out a bit of the hay I bought for Bella so I could finish without Squishy's help. LOL. Didnt take long for him to come back over so I decided to braid his mane and see how he'd look. Of course he looks adorable!


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## JoBlueQuarter

Omgosh that last picture. Breathtaking. Looks like amazing country. Montana is one of the places I really want to visit


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## SummerBliss

Squishy looks more and more grown up with each new batch of pictures! He's such a handsome and cute little guy and it's definitely a bonus he has a personality as beautiful as he is.


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## PoptartShop

Beautiful photos.  He is so cute!! Love how he wants to follow you around haha. He looks so majestic!!! I love the braids!


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## akihba

aww he's a proper horse now!


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## csimkunas6

Photos are not loading up for me, most likely due to severe thunderstorms that are passing through BUT a lot has changed!

Squishy has 2 testicles dropped!! Yay! Actually happened a few days ago but I waited for my husband to double check and make sure I wasnt losing my mind! With that being said, his castration is scheduled for July 11th!

I decided NOT to breed Bella and I brought her home! Squishy was incredibly interested in her for the first hour or two and has kept his distance since, she is a dominant mare and is already leading Rodeo and Squishy around. 

Squishy is doing great with the new introduction to the herd! Looking forward to having him gelded next week! Hoping to get pics of the gelding!


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## PoptartShop

Yay for him dropping! :lol: Good luck with the gelding process!!! Squishy we are rooting for you buddy! LOL


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## csimkunas6

Well so much for gelding Squishy  I went out the morning of his gelding appointment, caught him with no issues, actually he came right up to me lol. Went to load him up and he absolutely refused! After about 45min I had him half on, willingly to add, that was it. By the time I got him half on it was 8:30, our appt was at 9 and it was an hour drive to the vet....so I gave them a call told them Id be running late....went back to loading him and he was done, wouldnt move forward, only wanted to move backwards. I literally walked this horse backwards from the top of my driveway all the way down to the bottom doing nothing but walking him backwards 

With summer weather officially here I decided to just wait until Fall to try again, by that time hopefully Ill have a new trailer, as sadly my new to me trailer is far too small for normal sized horses, I have no clue how of why Bella got on lol.

So Squish will enjoy his summer vacation


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## PoptartShop

Awww Squishy! :sad: Glad you didn't push it though, 45mins is a long time, but it will get easier the more he does it I think. I think that's fine if you wait until fall anyway, he can enjoy the rest of summer LOL. :lol: Plus it gives you more time to practice trailer-training!  So, I'd say that's not a bad thing!


----------



## csimkunas6

Squishy got his very first bath today,....and he has DAPPLES!!! Oh how I love a grey with dapples! Lol, granted you cant see them unless he's soaked, but how neat to see!

He wasnt thrilled with the idea at first but settled into the idea relatively quickly and seemed to really enjoy it after it was all said and done!

Pics from today and a few from the past few weeks! Enjoy the Squishyness!


----------



## csimkunas6

Obviously been awful about updating this! Havent done a whole lot with Squish, but he is easy to catch, picks up all 4s, stands for grooming, and just overall an easy little guy to be around. Hes friendly and loves the kids! Here are some new pics!


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## carshon

he is a doll!


----------



## PoptartShop

Squishy is getting big!  He is such a cutie, so nice seeing him without all that fluff (although, the fluff is ADORABLE!!!). So glad he is doing well. He's such a good boy.
I love the dapples, too! So cute!!!


----------



## ACinATX

Adorable pony foal grows up to be handsome young pony!


----------



## csimkunas6

*16 months Old*

Squishy is now 16mo old! Its been a while but the last time I measured him, he was 12hh! 

He was also gelded at the beginning of the month! He did super! Although he wasnt quite ready to wake up from the procedure, and continued snoring loudly for a good 45min-1hr before he fully woke up! He was a bit sore for a few days of course, but luckily the cooler temps helped prevent pretty much all swelling!

He is already starting to grow a thick winter coat which is good as it is currently 18F with a real feel of 2F with the wind, high for tonight is 6F so Im glad he grows such an amazing coat! Here are some pics of him from today....his dapples are really showing!

There is also a video of him going a tad bit viral somewhere on youtube as well


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## pheobe111

i love u squishy


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## LoriF

Oh, please do post the video. Love little Squishy


----------



## csimkunas6

LoriF said:


> Oh, please do post the video. Love little Squishy


----------



## PoptartShop

Oooh, look who's FAMOUS!!!! :lol: That is so awesome!!!  I love your little herd! <3 So cute. 



I'm glad he was good for the gelding process & he's definitely turning into a little fluffball again, I've missed all the fluff!  How cute!!


----------



## csimkunas6

PoptartShop said:


> Oooh, look who's FAMOUS!!!! :lol: That is so awesome!!!  I love your little herd! <3 So cute.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm glad he was good for the gelding process & he's definitely turning into a little fluffball again, I've missed all the fluff!  How cute!!


Thank you! Funny how such a simple video can go viral LOL....and yes! Getting fluffy fast!! He looks so much fatter than he actually is already too! LOL


----------



## carshon

I love seeing the video make it around FB - I was like "I KNOW those horses!"


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## csimkunas6

carshon said:


> I love seeing the video make it around FB - I was like "I KNOW those horses!"


Thank you! So do I! Ive been keeping track of it the best as I can, so far its been shared to about 6-7 small news agencies, MSN, and World News with David Muir.....so funny how a simple everyday thing such as feeding treats can go viral! LOL

Besides the video, theres been lots going on! As many of you know, Ive wanted to breed Bella practically before I brought her home which is crazy to me as Ive never wanted a mare and never wanted to breed but here I am LOL. I also decided until I was 100% set on a stallion and breed, I wouldnt breed her. Well after months of looking at different stallions of various breeds, I decided to breed Miss Bella to a Shire stallion that is standing to the public a mere 2hrs away!

So with the booking of Bella to the Shire, I decided we needed to convert the garage into a barn for sure, and with the weather already dipping below freezing, it was messing up our plans of finishing the arena before winter. So we stopped work on the arena, which sucked as we were so close to being done, (We only have one side left of putting posts in and only 2 sides left of putting the boards up but oh well.) and we began on the garage! Everything went together rather quickly but since it was already a standing structure, we just had to re-do the insides so to speak.

So our 2 car garage is now a 3 stall barn with a tack room, we're not quite done, as we have a window in the one stall to finish, and we are insulating the tack room but its usable as is! We do have to put up a divider in the big stall, as itll be Bella's foaling stall in 2021, so itll be a removable divider but its incredible to have my own barn! Its nothing fancy but considering I really dont stall that often, it's perfect for what I need it for!

Back to Squishy.....Squishy has claimed the stall next to the tack room as his and he loves it! Ive only fed the horses in there twice now, once last night and once this morning, and Squish patiently waits for Rodeo and Bella to come in first and he calmly walks in to his stall LOL.....having him leave is another story, he seems to rather like the idea of being in his own stall and not sharing his grain every morning/evening!


----------



## egrogan

The barn conversion is gorgeous! And how cool that the video has been on the news as well as FB...


----------



## csimkunas6

egrogan said:


> The barn conversion is gorgeous! And how cool that the video has been on the news as well as FB...


Thank you!! Im so proud of my husband for doing it!! Ive helped of course but he's been the main person doing the heavy/hard work LOL.....like I said, nothing fancy but it's perfect for what I need it for and since we have more cold weather overall each year than warm, figured might as well.

I do wish I had taken more before photos.....but here are some when we first started the work, excuse the mess....we were using the garage more of a storage than anything which is why making it into a barn made sense, actually using it for something besides storing junk lol


----------



## carshon

I love having individual stalls and run ins. I can monitor what everyone eats and keep a closer eye on them. So happy you got a stud picked out and have a place for the horses if need be. Making good progress!


----------



## csimkunas6

carshon said:


> I love having individual stalls and run ins. I can monitor what everyone eats and keep a closer eye on them. So happy you got a stud picked out and have a place for the horses if need be. Making good progress!


Yes!! Its been so nice! I dont give them much grain, but if they're not separated, Rodeo will go and eat everyone else's along with his, and he doesnt need any extra! LOL


----------



## LoriF

Wow! Nice conversion, good job I'm jealous. 

If anyone can make the news for cuteness, it would be Squishy. He is the most adorable pony that I've ever seen. I remember when you snagged him and thought "Oh, I want him!!". His mom was adorable too even with her issues.


----------



## csimkunas6

LoriF said:


> Wow! Nice conversion, good job I'm jealous.
> 
> If anyone can make the news for cuteness, it would be Squishy. He is the most adorable pony that I've ever seen. I remember when you snagged him and thought "Oh, I want him!!". His mom was adorable too even with her issues.


Thank you! Its been a lot of fun and watching it transfer into a barn has been amazing! LOL Who needs a garage in Montana anyways right?! haha!

Thanks! He sure has had his transformations, hard to believe he's 16mo old already and we've had him for a year next month already! Insane how fast time goes anymore! As for his mom, Ive heard she's doing awesome, wearing corrective shoes to help her a bit more, and has started to learn not all humans are bad! Shes up for adoption as a companion only pony, Ive considered bringing her home but with all my future plans, I need to have a tad bit of common sense LOL


----------



## JoBlueQuarter

Your barn is beautiful! I'm *so *jealous :mrgreen:

I'm so glad his mum is doing well!!!!


----------



## csimkunas6

JoBlueQuarter said:


> Your barn is beautiful! I'm *so *jealous :mrgreen:
> 
> I'm so glad his mum is doing well!!!!


Thank you! I love it! Although I do wish we could have full walls along the front/divider instead of just the boards...maybe eventually thats what we'll end up doing but this works just fine for now!

And yes! Shes doing super! Squish's father was adopted out to the main vet the rescue uses as well! Id love to see some recent pics of him!


----------



## csimkunas6

Nothing too terribly exciting going on here....I went back to my restaurant job, I absolutely loved being a bartender BUT the hours of working until 2-3 in the morning and then being back up at 6 to get my daughter up and ready for school,plus have my other two up and fed was killing me LOL

Now back to my previous job, Im only working 3-4 evenings a week, and the latest I get home is 10pm which is rare, its usually more like 9:15pm so quite a bit difference! Which also means more pony time!!! 

I decided to take Squishy for a walk off the property and see how he would do, he pretty much hasnt left the other horses or our property in forever lol, so off we went! He was a bit stubborn at first, but once we got thru out gate he was super! I even was able to get him to trot in hand which was huge as he never wants to move faster than a slug in salt 😂. But we worked on quite a bit of groundwork as we walked, all of which he surprisingly did very well for! 

I was feeling a bit festive yesterday as well, so I decorated the barn! Mind you, the idea of being able to hang Christmas lights never crossed my mind when we built the barn, so I have to unwrap lights from 2/4 gates so I can open them **** but its the idea that counts so...of course Squishy, Rodeo, and Bella were up "helping" with the lights.


----------



## PoptartShop

Omgoodness how cute!  The lights are such a good idea too! I just love that darn face! He's too cute.
Glad you will be less stressed about work now & will have more pony time. Yay!!!


----------



## csimkunas6

A few days ago I decided to see how Squishy would do with my daughter's saddle on. He's had it on before but its been a while and I never actually did the cinch, so figured why not?! He wasnt too sure of it, and since I was just messing, I didnt throw a saddle pad on....although Im pretty sure none will fit lol.

Anyways, he did pretty well, jumped a bit when I put it on initially but got better the more times I took if off and put it back on.....excuse my dorkiness....I was rather proud of the little s**t.

Yesterday Squish showed his true pony self. The herd of horses that is turned out for winter in the pasture in front of our property we're out visiting my horses. The little Haffie colt, thats probably 9-10 months now was playing with the chain that keeps the gate closed. I didnt think anything of it, as he does that quite often, so I went and took a shower, got out, just happened to look outside and saw the little Haffie colt yank on the chain just right and the gate swings open.

I take off outside, jacket in my hand, had my husband's boots on, hair still wet, and off down the driveway I go. Rodeo was standing a few feet away from the gate, why he didnt go out I have no clue, so thankful Bella was off on the other side of the house, as she is a pain in the a** to catch, although she is getting better

On my way out the barn, I somehow managed to grab a halter and rope, and a container of treats. Initially Squishy came right up, as did momma Haffie, and colt Haffie lol. I tried to wrap the lead rope around Squish, but he took off before I was able to. He galloped around for probably 10min with the Haffie's and then started running along the outside perimeter of my fence....I opened the gate and he galloped right in. Was not the best way to start my morning but sure was eventful!

Now for something crazy.....we're coming up on one year since we adopted Squishy!!!!


----------



## LoriF

I love seeing little Squishy, he is so dang cute and adorable with that little saddle on him.


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## carshon

Squishy fan here!


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## csimkunas6

Today marks a year since we brought Squishy home from the rescue! What a year it has been with the little Squish! We've had plenty of ups and downs with Squishy, mostly up but a few frustrating, trying times for sure!

Regardless I love the little fluff ball and he wont be going anywhere anytime soon! Happy year Squish! And Merry Christmas to everyone!


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## PoptartShop

Happy anniversary Squishy!!!! He is just too cute. Beautiful photos!! So happy to see he’s all fluffy again. LOL! 


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## LoriF

Merry Christmas to you. Loving those adorable little ears.


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## csimkunas6

Squishy has been doing fantastic! He is the first one to meet me at the gate for breakfast every morning! He loves any and all attention he can get at any time! He has continued to go into his stall and thoroughly enjoy it everyday! I actually have to halter him to get him out, while the other two will go out on their own for the most part after their door is opened.

Squishy has begun shedding already! The other two have not but he is shedding enough to where Squish hair is every where on me after I am done messing with him lol. I finally found a farrier! I have been doing upkeep trimming myself since we got Squishy, but Ive really wanted someone to do them on a regular basis, and I believe I finally found one! I am beyond excited, so besides me for the past year, Squish hasnt had anyone mess with his feet. Friday morning that will change! Fingers crossed it goes well!

I included some pics! First one is Squishy admiring the arena that we started last fall! Cannot wait to get it up and going and finished so I can use it! Other pics are Squish was yesterday and Squishy and Rodeo posing for me in the sunset! They were so awesome about standing there for me to get those pics! Yes, Bella is still here, lol, she was napping and could care less about what the geldings are up to!


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## csimkunas6

*Almost 3mo later*

Well havent I just been awful with keeping up with this journal! 

Squishy is doing terrific! Ive found a farrier that actually comes out every 6-8wks to trim Squishy, Rodeo, and Bella, so that is awesome! Super happy with him and how Squish has done for his trims! I had the vet out for yearly vaccines, Squishy got a clean bill of health and didnt put a foot wrong for his check up and vaccines!

Ive saddled him up a few times, he always has done well and seems unphased just walking around so last time I decided to lunge him a bit, and he went straight bronc for a few minutes, so that was interesting to see! We ended on a super good note and he did really well! Still a long ways before my kids are able to ride him but hes not even 2 yet so that wont be for some time anyways! I did find someone that would take him in as a training pony for me and get him going under saddle, so most likely that is the route Ill go as Im just too big for him to ride and Id truly like him to be a pony for my kids once hes old enough!

What else......I had a booked breeding to a Shire stallion for my mare Bella, but due to the coronavirus we cancelled it, just too many uncertainties at the moment, and long story to go along with the cancellation but we wont go into that here. I did take Bella to a repro vet last week and Squishy was brave enough to hop on the trailer with her without a halter or leadrope, so he was a bit unhappy with me for not letting him go with Bella but he settled down quickly after we left.

Dapples are starting to show through his coat which I absolutely love! I havent heard any updates about his mother, all I know is that she is still learning to trust people. I included some pics for Squishy enjoyment


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## LoriF

What a beautiful pony Squishy is turning into. I just love him.


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## SummerBliss

Squishy has grown up so much since your first post and starting to look so grown up! Glad everything is continuing to go well and I love those dapples he's getting


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## csimkunas6

LoriF said:


> What a beautiful pony Squishy is turning into. I just love him.


Thank you! Who would have guessed the little ball of fluff I brought home 16 months ago would have turned into the refined young pony he has become! 



SummerBliss said:


> Squishy has grown up so much since your first post and starting to look so grown up! Glad everything is continuing to go well and I love those dapples he's getting


He really has! Its crazy how much he has changed! It doesnt seem like Ive had him that long but its been about 16-17mo now! Im so curious to see how he'll mature over the next few years! And yes!! I love the dapples!


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## csimkunas6

Squish has been fairly naughty lately, he'll come in for grain every morning, go right into his stall, stands perfectly to be haltered, leads out of his stall and just stops at the barn door and will not budge. Was like this for a few days, he'll back for as long as you want and anywhere but would not go out of the door. So we worked for a few days on leading and walking in and out of the barn and so far hes been doing well.

Hes a champ for grooming! Stands like a good boy and absolutely loves it! I braided his mane, poorly, today while he was napping in the sun, he wasnt thrilled with it but dealt with it LOL

He'll be 2 next month! I need to measure him! My farrier and his wife train ponies and Ive been toying with the idea of sending him in a few years as they're pretty awesome people to deal with!

Anyways, pics included, hopefully they're not repeats, I havent taken a lot of pics of Squishy with everything going on with Bella (breeding her to an AQHA/APHA/PtHA stallion) but he sure loves attention!


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## tinyliny

This photo reminds me of "Misty of Chincoteague".


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## SummerBliss

He's looking so handsome! Hard to believe he's almost 2, time has really flown by!


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## csimkunas6

So long story short, I bred my mare Bella by AI several weeks back, 14 day ultrasound, she was confirmed in foal, 30 day ultrasound, no foal  So I attempted a second time, she was bred again by AI last week, and her 14 day ultrasound is next week. While she is being bred, she spends about a week at the vet. So Rodeo and Squishy have gotten some more time with me!

I rode Rodeo around the property line, and Squishy followed along. He did however find it exhausting at times LOL so would gallop ahead, lay down, roll, munch on some grass, hop back up and follow along again. I do need to get him a bigger halter! How is that possible?! Pony sized so huge on him when I first got it! Im thinking the yearling sized halter will be perfect from comparing the two sizes at the feed store the other day.

I bought a Wyze camera, mainly for Bella when she hopefully foals next year, but I already have it set up in the barn and its so neat! I love watching them while they're inside eating....yesterday I threw my 2yr old daughter on Squish, not literally throw her, but had her sitting on him while he was hanging around, he didnt seem to mind but originally he didnt mind the saddle either so LOL

Other than that, nothing too exciting here. He continues to dapple out more which I absolutely love and he is just an all around happy little guy!


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## ACinATX

Aww, I love that last picture!


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## PoptartShop

Awww, I love the pictures.  How cute!!! Squishy is getting big!


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## Fuddyduddy1952

I love that name "Squishy"!

The Lone Ranger should of used that. Then it would have been:

"A fiery horse with the speed of light
A cloud of dust and a hearty hi-o squishy
The Lone Ranger!"
[emoji16]



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## LoriF

That last picture of the three reminds of one of those budweiser commercials. They look like they are having a good conversation about something and Squishy has to know all about it.


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## csimkunas6

Thanks all! The last pic is one of my favorites of the three of them for sure! I do wish I had been able to get more of Squish in there as you cant even see his face LOL but oh well.


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## Fuddyduddy1952

So many pictures would be great on a calendar!

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## csimkunas6

Fuddyduddy1952 said:


> So many pictures would be great on a calendar!
> 
> Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk


Thank you! Besides the regular cell pics I take, I havent been taking any decent photo. My camera that is probably close to 10yrs old now decided not to hold a charge anymore despite getting a new battery so until I buy another, cell pics it will be LOL


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## csimkunas6

Neighbor's goats came over yesterday and today, they're always worried we're going to shoot their goats as thats what the people did that lived in our house before would do anytime they ventured over here.....their goats to bother us one bit and to be honest, Im always worried my horses are going to hurt their goats vs their goats bother us.

Rodeo and Squishy have a blast chasing them around whenever they come over, eventually they settle down and all graze together but takes a few minutes of fun first. I can never seem to get it on camera though, but still trying!

My mom has been visiting for the past week or so, she leaves Tuesday morning so has been giving me more time with the horses everyday as she gets to spend quality time and i get a bit of a break!

Ive been looking more and more into trailering around the state and riding different trails, seem to have found someone that lives about 45min that trail rides quite often and has even invited me out to her place so I am thrilled! She even has a few ponies she has trained to drive and does skijoring with them, so might pick up some training tips and get Squish driving this winter! How fun that would be!!!!

So with that being said, besides starting off with ground driving, what are some tips/advice you could give me to get him started with driving training? Also, where do you suggest buying a driving harness from? My husband will love this idea LOL

Here are a few pics of Squishy from today.....do y'all think he's overweight and needs a grazing muzzle? My biggest fear with him is founder as hes a bit of an easy keeper and on 20acres of fairly nice grass. I have zero experience with grazing muzzles but sure would like to prevent any serious health issues if I can!


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## csimkunas6

Been so busy over the past week, havent had time for much for anything! Farrier finally came out, only took three times of making an appointment for him to actually come out. I find that exceptionally frustrating, so makes me want to get a new farrier but when my current farrier does finally show up, hes superb! So I dont know what to do, plus side is that my horses dont grow a whole lot of hoof so despite it being about 10wks since their last trim, he hardly took any hoof off.

I ordered some lycra flymasks as Rodeo and Bella get every kind of flymask I currently have off.....after 3wks of waiting, they finally came in! Squishy tried Bella's sloth pattern flymask on and seemed to careless about it. 

Im currently waiting on a call back from my county brand inspector, which I actually discovered he literally lives a few houses from me so thats awesome, but have to get Bella's brand inspection done as we're still traveling to and from the repro vet thats a few counties over, so I figured might as well get Rodeo and Squish done as well.

Pics of Squishy trying Bella's fly mask included


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## csimkunas6

I gave Rodeo and Bella a bath several weeks back but didnt do Squishy. Today its pretty warm....getting up to 90F today so I figured Id give him one today. Caught and haltered him no problem, led him over to the hose and he did great. A little iffy about the water on his off side, but got used to it fairly quickly.

Such a nice looking guy and the dapples! I just LOVE them! Of course he rolled right after....have a nice bay now LOL


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## egrogan

As cute as ever. Do you ever hear anything about his mom all this time later?


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## csimkunas6

egrogan said:


> As cute as ever. Do you ever hear anything about his mom all this time later?


She's still at the rescue....she is available for adoption now though! Her feet and legs have improved quite a bit but due to the years of neglect, the damage has been done to her legs and she isnt sound for anything besides a pasture pet basically. Still very untrusting of people from my understanding as well


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## csimkunas6

Nothing much to report on here as far as Squishy goes.....a local photographer was looking for interesting marked horses for an upcoming art gallery.....Squishy was not the center of attention although he wanted to be....here are two pics she got of Squish a few days ago.


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## csimkunas6

Not too much to report since the last time I posted....Ive been riding Rodeo as much as possible, heat has made that a bit difficult as of recently. Its been in the high 90s and even low 100s lately, despite the high temps, its getting nice and cool at night! Even had a night of 50F! 

Squishy's stall is currently filled 3/4 of the way with some gorgeous 2nd cutting tested hay! I tried buying hay from this man last year but he was sold out! Its absolutely gorgeous, and in small square bales! I havent been able to find any square bales around me so this was super exciting for me! Squish has been getting less than a handful of grain every morning, but his manners coming in have not been the greatest. I began making him wait until he was last to come in, worked really well! 

But the bales I bought took more space in my small barn than I planned so his stall was sacrificed  which really, his stall and Bella's create her double stall for when she gives birth next summer so regardless he was going to be losing his stall. He's getting less than a handful of grain in the aisle way now, politely waits his turn, finishes and walks out of the barn for water, grazes and waits nicely for the other two to finish their grain!

We're ready for it to cool off here! Lack of any rain and extremely low humidity as made this fire season interesting......fingers crossed we can avoid any coming near us this year!


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## LoriF

I just love this pony! Everytime that I see him it makes me want to squeal "Squisheeee!!!!" 

Good for you that you got the good hay this year Yay. I'm sure Squishy won't mind giving up his stall in exchange for some great hay.


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## csimkunas6

LoriF said:


> I just love this pony! Everytime that I see him it makes me want to squeal "Squisheeee!!!!"
> 
> Good for you that you got the good hay this year Yay. I'm sure Squishy won't mind giving up his stall in exchange for some great hay.


Its a struggle not to squeal that everytime! I find even when I dont want him around I still yell his name lol.....he answers as always


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## csimkunas6

Nothing terribly new to report on Squishy. His stall is still being used as hay storage and once the hay is gone, the stall divider will be opened up to make a double stall for Bella to give birth in, so Squish is stall-less for every bit of 9+ months still. Luckily he doesnt seem phased one bit and he seems to rather enjoy getting to the hay first after grain lol.

I wasnt able to get a hold of my regular farrier after they were trimmed in June so I had one come out the end of October....he started on my gelding Rodeo. Rodeo was clearly extremely sore after the front feet were done, so for the first time since Ive ever owned horses, I actually asked him to stop trimming and leave. Rodeo was quite sore for almost a month after to top it off.

I ended up finding another farrier who came highly recommended, so I gave him a try. He looked at Rodeo's feet and said they were trimmed completely off balance and far too short, so he fixed them up and moved on to Squishy. Squishy was fantastic and the new farrier absolutely loved him! Squishy truly has turned into such a well behaved guy! So proud of the pony he has become!

We're having some crazy weather here in Montana, no snow and t-shirt weather one day, and snow, high winds, and below 10F the next day. Luckily everyone is handling it super well! Im wanting to get Squishy a turnout sheet for well, reassurance for myself really, Id like to have even though in his case Id never need it, his coat grows so insanely thick which is such a relief in these Montana winters!

I also found out more info on his mother, she was adopted out to the woman that used to help with the rescue, she also owns Squishy's foal play mate that he grew up with before I adopted him, so that was nice to know! She sent me new photos and the likeness of Squishy and his mother Majesty are just crazy! Anyways,,,,pics of Squish!


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## egrogan

Oh I'm so glad to hear his mom got adopted and is doing well. That's such a happy end to the story. And of course I love Mr. Squish


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## PoptartShop

Omg, he is so cute in the snow! He is fluffy again!   Seeing pictures of Squishy makes me happy! Also, I'm glad you got a new farrier!


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## csimkunas6

Been a minute since I updated on Squishy on here! He is as friendly as can be! Extremely well behaved, my kids are able to be led around on him with all the chaos three kids bring, all three of which are 6 and under, so quite chaotic. He honestly stands tied better than my 11yr old gelding ever has, Squishy is just awesome! I need to measure him again but I believe the last time I measured him he was about 13hh or so. Who would have guessed he would have turned into such a cute little pony? Pic is from today, he was drying off from his bath.....his dapples stand out more since he's wet but they do appear to be darker than last year even when dry


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## tinyliny

He's very handsome! what kind of pony is he? he deserves his very own pony sized halter! Such a handsome and good boy! you've done a great job bringing him along


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## knightrider

csimkunas6 said:


> Who would have guessed he would have turned into such a cute little pony?


I am guessing this is tongue-in-cheek? Because when Squishy was a lil' guy, I do believe he was the cutest pony who ever walked the Earth! I never saw a cuter pony than Squishy. So, of course, he is extra cute when grown! Thanks for the update. I think we are all in love with Squishy.


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## ACinATX

knightrider said:


> I am guessing this is tongue-in-cheek? Because when Squishy was a lil' guy, I do believe he was the cutest pony who ever walked the Earth! I never saw a cuter pony than Squishy. So, of course, he is extra cute when grown! Thanks for the update. I think we are all in love with Squishy.


Yes I could not have said it better myself.


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## QtrBel

Love me some Squishy!


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## csimkunas6

@tinyliny......the halter he is wearing does in fact fit him, I just happened to drop it down a hole to see if that was a better fit than the hole above it as it is too tight and yes, the lower hole makes the halter too big, I am well aware. He is actually too big for a 'pony" sized halter.

@knightrider.....thank you! A lot of people thought he was quite ugly when he was younger LOL!! My husband often asks me why I got him when he was so ugly but that he looks so good now! haha. beauty is in the eye of the beholder I suppose! 

Thanks all! It's been quite the journey with Squishy!


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## ACinATX

I can't believe anyone ever said he was ugly. He was literally the cutest little pony I've ever seen. Ever.


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## knightrider

ACinATX said:


> I can't believe anyone ever said he was ugly. He was literally the cutest little pony I've ever seen. Ever.


In every picture you posted, I just wanted to cuddle and hug him. He truly looked like a stuffed toy.


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