Teddy on a Pedestal

This was when I went to pick him up from the trainers… it was the first time he got up on it with both feet. He doesn't seem too concerned.

Anna & Teddy Riding for the first time

Yippee!! I'm so excited to have him back and ready to go! He is such a good boy, and they did a FABULOUS job with him! Many many thanks to Lorrie and her daughter Natasha!

Teddy's First time under saddle

To back up a little, this was his first time under saddle ridden free.  You can really see his annoyance at having someone telling him what to do and where to go!

Teddy started under saddle

Teddy's third time under saddle.  He's been sent away for training, and we'll have lots of riding to do when he gets back.  I'm so excited!  Click the link for the trainer's web page: http://www.happynaturalhorse.com/

Cowboy Greg

A photo from last summer of the cowboy in my kitchen... wondering why those pants fit so tight!

Paddock Paradise

    I think this is a great concept, and I have been experimenting with it in one of my 
    groups of horses. (I have 2 separate pastures / groups - one with 3 horses, and one
    with 4 horses).  "Paddock Paradise" is a book by Jaime Jackson that describes a
    new "natural horsekeeping" method. To paraphrase from the back cover of the book
    (my notes are in red):

     "...Paddock Paradise is a revolutionary model for safe, natural horsekeeping, hoof
     care, and the healing and rehabilitation of lame horses. The premise of Paddock
     Paradise is to stimulate horses to behave and move naturally according to their
     instincts... This unique and unprecedented model is adaptable to virtually all size
     horse properties, regardless of climate, and fits all equine breeds regardless of how
     they are used.
    
                                      Consider some of the following benefits for creating a Paddock Paradise for your 
                                      horses:

- Encourages constant movement, as nature intended

- Greater movement means natural hoof wear with fewer bills (If you provide gravel or other proper footing)
- Protects horses from dangerous founder-prone pastures (I've never had this problem, but I suppse it makes sense)
- Minimizes the need for warm-up exercise time before riding (keeping my horses at field 24/7 seems to do the same thing)
- Helps address neurotic behavior by providing natural outlets (again, see above... full time out at pasture means no neurotic behavior.)
- Provides an effective means for diet and weight management

How an Electric Fence Works (or, as I prefer to call it, "Fun with Fools")

Brainiac - Electric fence
This is a great video explaining exactly how an electric fence works.  Many people don't really understand.... hence, why they may leave the electric gate laying on the ground, or allow objects to touch the fence (such as haning halters, rakes, etc).

Baseball Hay Nets - Paddock Paradise Wiki

Baseball Hay Nets - Paddock Paradise Wiki

This is an interesting idea to set up hay nets for horses that they can't destroy. It makes for less wasted hay (they can't pull out huge gobs which then get strewn around), and you can set up a few around the paddock to keep the horses busy and entertained.

Let's take the cow for a car ride....

In case you're worried that your cow is getting bored just sitting around in a field all day....

New Year's Resolutions - Horses

What are your new years resolutions?  Or does anyone even bother to make them anymore, since it seems that most are forgotten about come Groundhog's Day!  I challenge everyone to make a list of things they'd like to accomplish in the coming year involving horses. (I figure narrowing down the category will make it a little easier!)  Here are some things I'd like to do:

1. Go camping again at Assateague in the fall.
(For those who aren't familiar, Assateague Island in Maryland allows camping with your horse on the ocean side of the beach from around September to April every year.  It's great fun to gallop on the beach!)

2. Compete in at least one Horse Trial this year.

3. Do a hunter pace with friends.  I'll throw in here - go foxhunting at least once this year.

4. Get Teddy (my young Tennessee Walker) started under saddle this summer.

For other ideas of horsey / riding New Year's Resolutions, check out "A Rider's Bucket List".

Life on a Southern Farm: Cold Baby Goat Video

Life on a Southern Farm: Cold Baby Goat Video


Awww, this is just the cutest thing ever! As annoying as they can be when adults, I must admit that there is still nothing cuter than a newborn baby goat!

Plant a Memory: Five Steps to Create Time Capsule for Your Farm - Hobby Farms

Plant a Memory: Five Steps to Create Time Capsule for Your Farm - Hobby Farms

Chicken Coops: Choose the Right One - Hobby Farms

Chicken Coops: Choose the Right One - Hobby Farms

Horses in the snow

  "So are you going to feed us, or what?"

Snow, snow, and more snow!

Zoey just loves the snow!

I must say, fresh snow is charming and fun for the first day or so, but when you have a farm, it gets old quickly. I again thank my lucky stars for my 4 wheel drive tractor, and the bucket that works quite nicely as a snow plow when needed.

Saturday was mostly fun, plowing the driveway and the neighbor's drive before the snow got very deep, admiring the clean blanket of white over everything. Before bed Saturday night, I noticed with a bit of surprise that it was still snowing, but not until Sunday did I realize how much! It took me quite a while to get hay to the horses, as the snow was deep enough that the tractor frequently got stuck and the wheels would just spin. So I'd have to get down and dig out by hand for a bit, before traveling another 5 feet or so.... it took me much more time and muscle power than I had anticipated! Perhaps I should have kept ahead of the snow more on Saturday....

Another one of Greg and the kids....

Wow, it's been quite a while since I've posted. Things have been going well on the farm, and I am most grateful to have Greg to keep up with the mowing... when it was strictly up to me, things quickly got out of control. A couple of weeks ago, my friend Amy's sister and her kids came to visit... Greg rode them around on Magnum a bit, and they loved it!

Quite the scare!

I was just at the kitchen sink and glanced out the window to see my horse, Shiloh, laid out completely prone in the front field. Now, normally I might just think that he was taking a nap and recharging his solar batteries (judging by how often all animals do this, I'm convinced they have better solar technology than us humans). But we had a snowstorm yesterday, which meant he was lying in about 9 inches of snow, which doesn't seem very comfortable in which to have one's face flat.

So I was concerned, briefly thinking "what if he dropped dead?!". (That's a frequent worry with my elderly animals). I opened the front door and called "Shiloh?". No response. So I quickly put on my clogs and shuffled through the snow towards him. As I got to the fence, I noticed a little bird perched on his neck. That did it - I thought "Oh no, he's dead and frozen solid and the wild critters are already treating him like part of the landscape!". I climbed through the fence and again said, "Shiloh!". This time his head came up quickly (startling the bird off) as he turned to me with his ears perked forward, and he looked for all the world like he was saying "What?". I asked "What are you doing, you silly horse?!"

At that, he put his head back down, scrubbed it vigorously back and forth in the deep snow until it looked like he was a powdered doughnut, then rolled over and wiggled in the snow with his legs in the air, doing a pretty good impression of making a horse snow angel. Then he stood up, shook, and wandered over to his hay trough. I was very relieved to see he was fine, but wished I'd had my camera to take a picture of him laid out with a bird preening itself on his neck. I just shook my head and went back in the house to warm my frozen feet...

Ellen on Shiloh in the park with Zoey alongside

Baby Goats Born!

Anette holding the newborn twins! A little buckling and a little doeling. Click here to see more photos: http://s669.photobucket.com/albums/vv55/AnnaB264/Baby%20Goats/