August...

8.10.16

You know the song "Summertime" ?  I swear it was written about August. Only the 'livin' ain't easy. We horse folks usually sweat thru two sets of clothing daily, not to mention Everything sticks to sweaty bodies. The humidity is miserable in August in Pennsyl-tuckie, and we have a rain deficit big time. Lawns are brown and nothing much grows, but for WEEDS! Good grief, do we have healthy,thriving weeds. It seems all I have been doing this month is mow weeds. Allll different kinds of weeds. My step-dad would have had a wonderful time telling me their names. He was a biology professor and told my husband one time, that weeds are simply 'misplaced' plants.   Go figure. I have to admit that some flowering weeds are very pretty to see. I have a whole corner in the yard just for Queen Annes' Lace to grow. Wow, has it grown too. No lie- I bet those weeds are 4' tall. Lovely, dainty flowers - they make me smile. The blooms are super for drying too. I used to dry some for using on Christmas packages. Got that idea from my ex mother-in-law. She was so talented that way.

The hens are doing well in this heat/humidity. You know it's hot when a chicken pants. Egg production is very low though. Even our barn chicken, Molly, hasn't been laying much at all. Issac, the new rooster parades about on a daily basis, struttin' his stuff. What is it with roosters n' BIG egos anywho? He makes me chuckle sometimes with his crowing. ( and he's got the song down perfectly too) Any noise at all, and guess who joins in ? Yep, Issac. That's him below, attempting to look fierce and scary.

One of the gals at the barn snapped a photo of Molly with her cell phone- it cracked me up :

This hen is Gorgeous! She's solid black but if you see her in the sun, her feathers show an shiny blue and purple sheen. She's a funny chicken- comes when called, LOVES playing " catch the fly" on cell phones, and inspects just about everything we do.

We have a new teeny addition- another peep being raised in the tack room. This is Casey and we all hope it's a girl.

The horses are doing great. The three boarders' horses are being worked and are doing wonderfully. All are slick n' shiny with many equine coats all dappled.

Other than dealing with the temperatures, all is well. I am healing really well from hip replacement back in March, and only have to be careful of my back. Life is gooood- now for Autumn to arrive just a little early.

Have a wonderful month everyone!

Happy July

7.6.16

It was a quiet 4th celebration here, thank goodness. Rain certainly put the damper on any firework displays, so I wasn't overly concerned about the 'nightmares'.

There's a fun gal coming here to help w/ the horses... she's great and is doing fine in working w/ those that need to learn not to fear. I enjoy having her around- lots of laughter and knowledge.  :)  Sadly, I don't want to risk being dumped off any more- so this gal can have fun working w/ them.

Whew, did it ever turn hot!!  Like overnight ''we got moved into the tropics'' hot. It is STILL 95 degrees at around 5 PM. Each summer that happens on the east coast, I despise this sort of weather more and more. Ahhh, the life of horse people, eh ?

Even the hens don't want to lay eggs in this heat/ humidity... not that I blame them. We are down in numbers now, and I don't forsee more chickens in the future. Just one of the Hippie Chicks are here- I named her Grace after Grace Slick.  She n' Liza have a good time chatting amongst themselves. My good ol' Silverwulf' is still here, and when I sit outside the barn, she will come wandering over and ask me questions I haven't got an answer for. So, we just enjoy chicken things and human things together.

We have a new rooster! "Issac"- he is such a blabber mouth!  Constantly crowing, and then he'll do this "growly'' noise that cracks me up. Imagine sitting on your sofa, trying to nap or watch some tv, and hearing a grey rooster growling to himself outside the window.....  That's our Issac.

Below is our February peep... she & Bess live in the barn. She's maybe twice this size now with gorgeous black feathers that shine iridescent purple in the sunshine.

The yearling (now) draft pony has really grown. He'll be soon heading to his new family. If he's brought along the right way, he will be spectacular. 

Oh my gosh- what a time we've had with lawn mowers! To begin with, I really didn't want the one that took me two years to buy. It broke down, the deck froze, and all it did was cost money.  So it took some time for me to run out of patience with getting it fixed, and called the manufacturer. Not much good came from that so it got traded in on a much more powerful mower that sure does get the job done. YAY for a tractor that isn't "dying" on a weekly basis !!

There will be just a few horses living here after the yearling leaves, and I am happy with that. We have a wonderful group of boarders and students now, and after what happened before, I don't know if I am willing to take a chance on anyone else. I've turned down at least 4-5 folks wanting to keep their horses here since April... I like having just a few gorgeous faces to feed. It used to be, it was nothing to care for my personal horses then head out to work. Another 24 stalls mucked, buckets washed, horses turned out, and then brought back in by noon.... And I'd head for home to work 2-3 horses. No way, not any more!

That's about it for now- I will return though. ( hahaaa- how many are thinking " oh please, no!")

Stay cool everyone.

It's June.

This past week has been GORGEOUS weather wise!!! Cool temperatures,sunshine,a great breeze . Very few flies here too- I love it. Folks have been riding and apparently, having a grand time from the smiles I have been seeing.

Due to it being SO nice this past week, the horses living here stayed out 24/7 and really enjoyed themselves. Tonight, we're back to having them come in when they are supposed to. I think we ALL enjoyed not having stalls to clean. ( I do the night horse stalls, but now, that's easy-breezy.)

Always have had a good time "horse watching" during this lifetime. One learns a LOT by merely observation when it comes to equines. It has been fun watching the drafts meet the 'littles' ! Rusty is still the self assigned 'watcher' of the farm and if anything is different ? He melts down mentally and EVERYone knows it.

We are getting another horse at the farm- another TB. I hope she mixes in as well as all of the others have.  Stay tuned....  


As the cliche` goes- "What goes on at the barn, Stays at the barn"
And it will.  Hope your day is the best !!

Oh My !!

6/5/2016

I know- another addition to this blog the very Next Day!

Ever since the creation of cell phones that are actually so much more, I have friends who shared some great photos with me.

Did you know that horses like 'selfies' too? Here (and apparently in many other barns) the horses like taking them just when we humans want to take a great little photo of them being 'cute' or beautiful or whatever.

Lately some have just cracked me up because I know these horses living here so well. Each has it's own distinct personality and like we humans, come with their own set of 'emotional baggage'. Given a chance each one does learn to being relaxed, content and yes, I like to believe, happy.

So, hold onto yer hats- here we go....

This is Flash- he is here on trial and obviously knows all about selfies! He will touch the phone and loves to take his own picture.

 ****************************************************
 BoJangles has taken some of himself on my phone- and considers it when other folks here try to get his photo.

**************************************************

                                    Guess who again...

**********************************************

this is one of our American Draft Ponies, Rose (aka "pumpkin")

They are the chubbiest ponies in the barn and is forever begging 'horse treats' !

 *************************************************
                   Rusty, coming in for a perfect selfie!

********************************************

Haha- this mare belongs to a friend- apparently, word has spread about these things called phones.

***************************************

 This nose belonged to my Percheron mare when she was young enough to stick her nose out. She took a few selfies of a nostril of hers, but I lost it when I switched cellphones.

 **************************************************
This guy is a true comic.... he's just a fun horse to have known.

Next, "Horse Nozes" !

It's May ! < happy dance >

Anddddd, all we've had is rain..... one nice day, the next 3-4 - yes, rain. This year, so far has had some good things and bad things happening.

I ( usually) choose to dwell on the good things, so apologies to those who read my 'rant'. Normally, I am not like that, but the slander continues and won't leave me alone.  That is the "excuse'' from me, trivial as it is- and it has been moving on time. I have
( :) Life is to short now to deal with that sort of thing.

Good thing: After surgery on 3/1/16, I am good to go. No hip joint pain at all.Still some muscle healing ( and omgosh- itching) and still getting used to following the 'rules' I have been told to follow, but generally it's Great to have no pain in that joint! I have been constantly finding out how crooked I had been for SO long- now these body parts are learning again that things are not crooked. This has been an interesting trip, let me tell ya.

Good thing- we have a Wonderful equine dentist  AND now a great equine massage therapist! ( If you are reading this- you know who you are < winks>) So busily getting that all in line and accomplished.

GOOD thing-  The folks who make hay for the horses to eat here tell me it is looking great in the fields!  < YAY> Now to find the money to buy it once it's baled..... it will come from somewhere, I hope. Perhaps Santa will bring an early gift ?

One of the gals at the barn has finally found 'The Horse'- we hope! She's been looking for a time and I thing she hit paydirt. Stay tuned on that one.

Lately, fox have been stealing my chickens- at least 5 by now. A friend's hubby drove out and shot one last winter, but we both know there are a kazillion more. I set up a trail camera and actually caught the tail end of one!

See below.... Obviously it is shedding, but it's a fox alright. The camera gets moved all the time, so perhaps I can catch anything/one who is up there at night.

The hen is Gwen- she's so curious and there are a few of her photos.. Did I happen to post one of my photos of another chicken?

Lynn apparently is curious too- I had one photo of a huge nostril earlier. Was it BoJangles or Lynn's? Who knows.

 We have a new rooster named Issac. (with thanks to a friend who 'found' him for me) 

 He's very handsome and is ( so far) well behaved. The girls adore him- especially Chocolate... they're always together.

It's good to have a true friend.... even if it is a chicken, I guess. Right now, he is standing outside my office window, crowing...

We celebrated my birthday over Memorial Day- I am officially 'OLD' now.  Lately I've been enjoying the peace and solitude this farm brings me, but have found myself wanting to not have as much hard work to accomplish.  A farm is hard to keep up with and being achy just creates a harder part to deal with. Oh well- I'll no doubt be into horses for a long time yet.

The horses are all being happy campers now- it is wonderful to have them back to normal. Yesterday, the old folks got a full body massage and you should have seen Lynda (age 25) tooling down the hill at a nice free walk!  Wow, maybe I will be next for a massage. She's back to telling me all kinds of fun stuff, 

and I love it.

 As May is actually over and it's June already, I guess I should have named this entry " June", eh ?

Thanks so much for following and reading- hope you enjoy this blog!

Welcome March..... I think

Welcome March
3/13/2016


What a lot of changes have happened since the first of the year! We had 4 rescues in, and they were happily eating a TON of feed and  hay... but looking better daily. Each one had a human who loved them, and they really enjoyed life here.

Then, it came to light that I could no longer do the heavy work in the barn. My hip hurt SO badly and my back was screaming in just handling the normal day to day items. Luckily some of the gals here pulled together and while I waited to get this hip replaced, they kept the barn going.

March,1st was my hip replacement ( yep- a brand NEW hip joint) surgery and I'm just 13 days out of it. I am walking without a cane,no longer needing a walker, and in the process of weaning myself off the super (Opioids) drugs for the pain. Let me tell ya- it was no fun. Once Glenn & I got organized on where, when and how, life was more comfy.Now, I am finally on the upswing from the initial pain and am able to walk w/out my hip hurting. It is just pain from the surgery and muscles being cut and pulled, etc.   YAY !!!   Stay tuned - I'm looking forward to a great summer.

Two gals who fell in love w/ two of my 'rescues' ended up owning them, and today the mares left to live on another farm.  I wish the owners the best- and even more so for those two mares.

So that leaves me with 8 horses in the barn- pretty simple work. I'm NOT considering any more horses in here other than maybe a Paying boarder or two in the future...Will have to see how I feel , come summertime.  Once my little draft pony,Toby, is paid for, he will leave for his new home too- but that's mid summer. Holly has a new person too and has sadly moved on- By the time Toby leaves, this farm will be set for another boarder ! MAYBE.


I own Lynn, BoJangles, Briana and Shonee and care for Rose, Toby, Jae and Rusty as boarders.  This spring will be wonderful as I won't feel so overwhelmed w/ caring for so many horses.

We have a new addition to the chicken flock- "Molly"- who was born here in mid February . She lives in a tote in my garden tub. She's goin to be very pretty, once all of her feathers come in.

And that's the news from our farm- hope your springtime is coming to life too.

Happy New Year

Reflecting back on the year 2015, I think it was not as good as it could have been. For instance, my back is finally giving out as well as a new pain problem- my right hip.

Early in the year, I had traded a horse for another and fell in love. This little pony ( yeah- Percherons to PONIES!! Never Ever thought that would happen to me!!) is a delight. I named her 'Briana'- one of my favorite names. She arrived here a little frightened and not knowing what was going to happen to her. As she settled in more, I got to see a little "horse minded" equine. As the quote goes " She may be little but she be Fierce".  That's Briana in one sentence.

Thanks to being "lame" (in desperate need of a hip replacement) a whole lot more than planned, I've driven her 3 times and each time was grand fun. She and I will be having a good time once the mud either freezes or dries up.
( LOTS of wet conditions here- clouds/ rain but no snow)

Then Abby left me at the end of summer. Any drive I had to keep training horses left me for a while.With each beloved horse I lose, the less I allow my heart to become stolen by another. (of course, not counting Briana)

I Really wanted to travel to some shows this year, but the dealer and manufacturer of Titan trailers screwed that up with not building our new trailer as we'd wanted and just a major lack of communication caused us to be 'trailer free' for quite sometime.

The good things were that now, this farm has it's own "dream team" of working students. Each and everyone is wonderful! After weeding out some of those proverbial 'rotten apples' from the group, things picked up nicely. We had some clinics and a lot of fun this past year. A horse wash, a Halloween Parade and ending with a great Christmas Party.  I love every one of these super gals and appreciate them more than they'll ever understand.

And so it's on to a new year once again...... I hope everyone gets to continue moving forward in whatever they choose- and do it successfully.

Happy New Year !!

Toby:

Briana:

Happy Christmas, etc.

It's been a while since I was here- life is tough when it begins to get cold outside. But !  It hasn't been cold outside. So- what's my excuse?  I guess I don't have one - so that will have to do.

Christmas here was quiet - just my husband n' I for gift openings and dinner. It was most certainly pleasant though.

Our annual barn Christmas party was great fun- tons of fun 'like' people, tons of food and tons of gifts too.  A few folks couldn't attend due to their having other things to get accomplished that evening, but we still had a house full.

 Below is our farm "mascot"- in her new Christmas dress.... she was posing to have her picture taken.

The weather has been rotten for December - rain and when it isn't raining, it's heavily clouded over. The ground is so saturated that now, the water just lays on top and isn't sinking in. The past week found us in high humidty and WARM! Temperatures in the mid to upper 60's and even higher on some days. Humidity percentages in the high 80-100% - which is terrible to try to work in. Nothing dries out and even inside the house, it felt damp. I hear that this sort of thing is going to continue til 'next year'. The pastures are nothing but sloppy mud- and each day it gets worse. (ugh) I bet once it becomes January, we'll get some whopper snows and freezing temps. 

< sigh>  Sure wish Mother Nature would make up her mind for this year. Perhaps she already has and we will fry this coming summer. Stay tuned!

Toby, my little American Draft pony colt is now a gelding. He got gelded on the 19th of December and has come thru it all very nicely. He's still a pest with wanting to nip and pull on shirts/ jeans or shoe laces .

We have a new "barn cat"- a kitten actually- and he's something to see. He's a 'tuxedo' marked fella and is named "Felix'' (my hubby's choice.) He's just gotten big enough to be in the barn and outside so long as a human is around. He Loves It ! Soooooo many new smells and wide open spaces- and oh, those funny looking things with feathers. What grand fun. Here he is when he was MUCH smaller- now, he's sleek and shiny and much taller.

We are looking forward to this upcoming year. Possible shows, a LOT of riding ( and driving for me) and more.

I hope your holiday season has been and will continue to be grand!

Happy New Year from all of us !!!

"People"

10/7/15

When I moved to this farm, I thought of beginning a 'working student' program. I wasn't making enough money to support anything and well, just didn't act on it. Being brand new to this area, I had way to many other things to worry about.

Later on, after things (and us) got settled in, I thought of it again. It never got acted on...  One year, I placed an ad on the local Craig's List and see what it brings.

I got many responses from folks wanting to learn to ride, learn how to handle horses and many other things. There were kids around 10 who wanted to come to learn, and older folks wanting to get back into riding.

One by one, the Working Students got weeded out. Some arrived in skin tight jeans, face full of makeup (well- we All know how long makeup lasts in a horse barn) and skinny little tops. Some didn't want to do the 'grunt' work that we all need to know and understand. Some thought washing water buckets was gross.... and so it went. One by one, and two by two came and subsequently left. They just were not serious enough for me to bother teaching and explaining.

Of course, by now, I'm getting older and a lot more achy- and yes, grumpier. There was much less patience for what I called the "stand around" students. They arrived, got tired of actually having to work hard- and then not coddled when riding. Very quickly I would assess whether they were really into horses or not. Those who stuck in there learned a LOT of things they'd never learn merely taking lessons some where.  Those people learned to speak to a horse who didn't know English, how to be patient and kind no matter if one's horse was in the process of being so nasty. They learned how to deal with fractious animals, horses in pain, and the heartbreak of losing a dear friend.

So I began limiting ages... one had to be 16 and have a car. One had to have horses galloping around inside their hearts to remain here as a Working Student. Lots of fun and laughter went into learning about horses and working around them. The older people were much more dedicated, having gotten that nonsense out when younger. Some younger people were "old souls"- and they stayed. Being flexible with people going to school or to work helped.

Those who have made it thru are becoming educated horse people- not "just" horse lovers. It makes me smile at how supportive these few people are! The barn isn't just somewhere one's favorite horse is- but a family also. Today, there are paying students here, a wonderful bunch of gals who come to help out, and yes, to learn as working students. By the time some of them actually are lucky enough to own their own equine, they'll be prepared for most anything.

We are laid back and enjoy joking around- but when it comes to someone dealing with a tragedy, we are all there for them. We have a few clinics a year, and I try to make them interesting. There are some days that it'd be so wonderful to be able to 'sleep in' past 7:30 and lately ?  I can- thanks to these wonderful women who come to help and learn.

In closing, I love them all dearly, and appreciate ever so much their help, happiness, and being dedicated enough to put up with me

So, here's to our crew!  Julia, Kristen, Jessica, Pat, Amanda and those students who come weekly, to those who board here, and lease horses.....

 Thank you.

Good Bye, sweet Abby.

9.18.15

It is with a heavy heart I write this.... Last month, my dear mare, Wolf River Fashion, died. August 16th, 2015.  I have no clue HOW she did it but she got tangled and down in a fence in her pasture. She'd been living in that pasture on and off for 12 years and knew where all of the fences/ boundaries were.

It all began about 8 PM on that Sunday evening. My neighbor called to let me know that one of the horses was down and caught in a fence. Glenn & I rushed up to find it was Abby. She was down with her front legs bent at the knees and totally underneath. Her back legs were under her body as well. It was as though she had just 'dropped'. No legs were tangled but she couldn't get up or free. Glenn and our neighbor cut the fence and Abby was free. Still she didn't get up, but she did try. Glenn was pulling on a lead ( I had rushed to the barn to get a halter and to call the gal that had been making payments to buy her) trying to help Abby get re- balanced so to have a front leg to use in getting up... She did get away from the fence, rolled over, and I dashed to the barn again to call the veterinarian. Letting her rest was what we were doing- then ask Abby to get up.

As I came back up the hill, and walked over to where Abby was, I was asking how she was doing.  Glenn looked at me and said "I think she just died".  I lost it- double checked to be sure my mare surely was not breathing,and still couldn't believe it.

So she is gone... Some days I forget she's buried up on the hill with the others and expect to hear her rattling her feed tub for a snack. The gal who loved her so was devastated, and got to the barn as fast as she could. We both cried- along with everyone else.

Abby is buried up on the hill, beside Evie. It is still hard to believe, but it is so. I hope we all heal from this enough to soon put the memories in a small part of our hearts to never forget her.

Rest in Peace, dear Abby...

"Wolf River Fashion"

 2002 - 2015

IT'S HERE!!!!!

Yes, it most certainly IS- our smaller horse trailer is HERE !!! < happy Dance> It was in Linglestown, at the dealers and needed to have things added STILL. But now ?  It is here.  Let the show training begin- we're all set.

It seems I am WaY behind !

7.18.15

Yep- I sure am- Way behind on this blog and news from the farm. Let's seeeee.... what's been going on since June.

I lost some more hens, and the worst loss was Rooster Cogburn (RC to his pals). He died and we found him in the chicken coop that morning. I don't know if it was the intense heat/ humidity, or stress from almost being fox dinner, or what. The end result was I had to bury my favorite rooster. Yes, he was a PITA towards people but it was ''his job" to protect his flock. I miss him. I miss him crowing most of the day, seeing him strut around, and him looking at himself in the tack room windows.

It turned out that I was able to buy another Lavender roo- he's just 14 weeks old and is gorgeous. I named him Pete " Pick up Pete". Then we now have two more young ladies who are Speckled Sussex and two "Silkies" in pure white. Pete and the girls are in a stall together and are good pals. The peeps that a friend had hatched out for me (Thank you Kristen!!) hatched and there are 3 of them They are Mottled Bantam Cochins and are Adorable. They are living in the tack room in one of those long plastic tubs that have been adapted for chicks. They've been growing in feathers and I *think* we have two pullets and one little bitty rooster. I HOPE that we are correct in our guesses.

Some good news, however! I started a working student program about7-8 years ago and it's doing really well. About a week ago, I got a call from a gal who wanted to come out and do an interview. I said alright but it didn't really sink in as to WHO that gal was. Turns out, she was a reporter with a local TV newsgroup. Well, I was floored when I realized WE were going to be on television.

  She arrived, interviewed me and one of the working students, took some video of some of the horses, and farm, and we had a good time. About a week later, she emailed me and told me when our "bit" was going to air- and here's the result!!

http://abc27.com/2015/07/16/woodfinn-farm/  ( might have to cut/paste the link)

Briana is looking great- I have yet to hitch her because, well, I haven't got a good excuse. I want to but need some more help than just me. Leah, our ASB ( American Saddlebred) mare has really blossomed! She is 75% stronger than when she first came here, she's Happy as well. I love to see her leaping and bucking and playing simply because she feels better. It is gratifying to me.

With all of the new chickens, I realized I needed another small coop to add to the one already here. I asked and searched classifieds when I found the Perfect size- and it was reasonably priced too. Yesterday, Glenn & I drove to Maryland to pick it up. Oddly enough it was a short distance from where I grew up, so I knew almost exactly where it was.  All went fine until we were an hour from the farm. We were speeding along up the 4 lane highway when we felt a small bump as though we had run over something in the road. Then a couple of seconds later a bigger thump and Glenn said "Crap, we lost it!!!"  Danged tie down strap had snapped, and my pretty little brand new coop flipped out over the tail gate, crashing to the pavement. ( I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad no one hit it, and it didn't hit anything but road. Wow)  Luckily for us, two cars pulled over to help out. I don't know what their names were but boy oh boy, they were SO welcomed. We got it all loaded up, and my pretty little coop was in shambles. There's some serious work to be done to fix it back to perfect again. Whew- again, a little coop can be replaced, but an injured human can not. We got home with no more troubles, and all in all ( aside from having to load the coop TWICE) it was a nice day. We had a good time, basically ; and it was fun to spend the day with my husband.

We are working on getting set to show a couple of horses in late September! Shonee & Rusty ( our other rescue) are the ones I'm thinking of using. I have already warned the three gals who want to show that they MUST do the "homework" and be ready... Or they won't be showing.  So the riding has begun. Stay tuned on how this turns out. Below is a short video of one of the gals riding Shonee. Those two are relatively new to each other. The second ride went Much better.

Still no trailer!!  It has gotten as far as the dealers lot in a near by town, but it needed so much extra work needed, we left it there until it is Finished!  I will never again say much of anything good about the service from Titan Trailers! Their product is great- but to wait More than a year for one to be made, when one is told  " 12 weeks" ?  Ha- nope.

Depressing Day

6.3.15

What a sad week it's been so far and it is just Wednesday.
Firstly, we have had some hen eggs in the incubator & were trying to hatch out some lavender Orpington peeps. Oh, I kept the temperature correct, as well as the humidity- turned those 10 eggs carefully 2-3 times a day and waited.  And waited.....  And Waited.  Finally, day 21 happened. No hatchlings. We are now over day 21 and are on day 24. Still not a sign of anything but brown eggs w/ Xs & O's on them.  So this evening, I will most likely throw the eggs away, and chalk it up to being a bad "mama'' to those eggs. <sigh>

Earlier this week, a good friend of mine was anxiously waiting to go to her doctor to find out whether her baby to be was a girl or a little boy. She was 17 weeks, I believe. Turns out there was no heartbeat-the baby had died for some unknown reason. All of us here at WoodFinn are so sad for her & her family. There's nothing anyone could say to make it better... So they are now forced to deal with emotions and heartbreaking knowledge. I hope they both can get thru this and become even stronger as time passes.

This morning ,our farm's vet came out to float a gelding's teeth, give him his vaccines, and do a sheath cleaning. Rusty was a very good boy with it all. He got a clean bill of health and is now happily eating grass outside. Soon, we'll let him be outside with Leah and hope they become good friends.

< sigh>  Then I had her do a pregnancy check on Briana, our new American Draft pony mare. She'd been bred before she came to our farm and everyone was looking forward to a foal next year.  Well, it turns out Briana did not "settle"- get pregnant. I wanted to cry, I felt so bad.....   No foal for us next spring.

So, we have no peeps, no foal, and feel terrible for our friend who is not pregnant any longer as well.

I guess this is how life goes sometimes......
  hope Something good happens around here.

Below is a photo of Rusty the first day he'd arrived... He got an upper respiratory infection and was quarantined for a month to make Sure no one else got sick- and now, Everyone is healthy & content.

Two Newbies

4.20.15
Things have been poppin' around here!
First Spring has happened on our farm. Things are getting green, daffodils have bloomed and the Forsythia too. The grass is trying to grow also- life is blooming all over.

Now onto the "Newbies"... I was contacted by a gal who had an American Draft filly that she needed to sell. Her husband had told her - Three ONLY. So this little mare & another needed to find good homes. I had been " Considering" letting someone else own Cherry. ( whom I adored but didn't feel like I could trust her100%)  We worked out a deal where we'd trade ponies. The really cool thing is that "my" pony was bred to another American Draft Pony! I had to wait a month or so to be Sure she didn't recycle into heat again- proving most likely she'd settled and was in foal... but it turned out fine. She has yet to come back into heat,and she was delivered here on April 16th. Cherry got a ride to the gal's farm and all is well.Here she is: '' WF Briana'' on her first day outside.

And THEN, there are some women doing wonderful things at the New Holland auction sale- they're buying horses that are slated to be shipped out of the country to be slaughtered.  Thank goodness, the buyers let them know if they see a horse that is a really nice one- TOO NICE to end up on someone's dinner plate in Europe.....

These gals go, get photos, and let folks know online as much as they know about each horse needing to be 'rescued'.  Now, as much as I love horses, I am against many so-called "rescues". Very few are legit and those that are not, take good meaning people's money in the name of saving a horses' life. I had known these gals for a few months, watching how they did online in finding these un-wanted horses homes.  They seemed to know what they were doing and were very fair towards others.

End result of all of this?  Meet Leah!  She is a 15 yr old American Saddlebred mare. She's been an Amish buggy horse for quite a while and has the fear/negative actions to prove it. She had a halter on that was Way to small and she has halter rubs, she is thin, needs a good hoof trim, and a bath but all of those will happen eventually. Right now, she needs to gain strength, and settle in- plus gain weight.

 As usual, God has seen fit to send me another 'far away' horse in Leah.  She is going to be great fun to get to know and I am sure we shall be good friends one of these days.

Introducing Maleah's Journey : ( Leah)

I hope both of these horses become splendid members of our barn and I Know they'll get all of the good care and love they can handle.

Be sure to check back and watch how they turn out as time passes.