Diamond J Farm only exists in our imaginations for now, but we are looking for a place with some acreage that we can afford where we can keep more livestock.  Right now we have four horses, 10 sheep, a dozen or so chickens and seven Border Collies.  We need more space! Especially for the dogs.

We had a brand for the horses 10 years ago that incorporated a Diamond J (actually a quarter circle shedding over a diamond j connected on the left hip) and we decided to use that for our kennel name this year and maybe try to get the brand reregistered for the horses.  So Diamond J seems like an apt name for the farm of our hopes.

The horses are: 

Cindy (Cindys Ruby Skip), a 22-year-old AQHA red dun mare.  We bought her as a three-year-old and she was my husband's ranch horse.  She had two foals and now has a bit of arthritis and is retired.  She is a great-granddaughter of Skipper W and looks it.

Lexie (Leprechaun Express), Cindy's eight-year-old red dun granddaughter, also AQHA.  We bought her from a family in Arizona after we lost track of her mother, whom we bred (Docs Sandy Skip).

Cee (Impress Cee Bars), a dark Brown AQHA 1990 mare in foal to an AQHA palomino stallion.  She is due in May.

Hen (Speedy Miss Nevada), a four-year-old sorrel AQHA mare, daughter of my old ranch mare that we lost almost four years ago.  Hr mother, Darcy, was a good ranch horse, very cowy and all business when working cattle.  Her bloodlines included several Driftwood bred horses and some King Ranch breeding.

For dogs we have: 

Freckles, who we call Bun, a 12-year-old ABC Border Collie, retired ranch dog.  Bun was from our old dog Cleo's first litter.  She was born right before the Flood of '97 on a ranch in Alpine County.

Vider (Vidalia), now eight and my main competition dog and best farm dog.  She is also a daughter of Cleo, who was mostly Arthur Allen breeding.  Her sire lived on a ranch in Benson, Arizona.  Jack was a grandson of Raymond MacPherson's two time ISC winner, Zac.  Vider is the first dog I've trained to compete in trials and we have learned a lot together.

Gwynn is just about to turn four and coming along in her training and competition in arena trials.  We bought her from our friend Anne-Lise Stannard and she is the most outgoing and sociable of our dogs, with a sunny personality. 

Bird, two years old, we bought from Vider's sire's breeder in Benson.  She is a daughter of one of Vider's littermate.  She is very much like her grandmother Cleo.  She is a challenging dog with a strong sense of self.  She is strong on stock and very confident when working sheep.

Lasca, one and a half, is Vider's daughter by Imp. Killiebrae Rudy.  Rudy was some friends' ranch dog which they purchased at the Red Bluff bull sale.   They said he was the best dog they've ever had and they've had a lot of ranch Border Collies.  Rudy was bred by Derek Scrimgeour and trained by Mike Hubbard.  Lasca has been started and is coming along with her training.  She is very honest.  She has strong instincts to keep sheep together.

Jezzie (Jezebel) is Gwynn's daughter by Rudy.  I have just barely started her due to some front leg soreness problems she had while growing.  She has beautiful natural square flanks.

Dub (Killiebrae Dub) is the baby at five months.  He flew over from England in November after we bought him at 12 weeks from Derek Scrimgeour.  He is a great little guy, full of energy and bursting with joy in life.  He wears out both Jezzie and Lasca every day and exercises virtually every dog toy there is.