Baby pictures...

Finn is here!
(Updated June 16, 2008 Note: Leisa, the foal's owner, has decided to call him Oliver.)

He was born on June 12th between 10:30 and 11:15 pm.










He's a big boy, jet black with grey eyebrows - and he's handsome. His mom, Delilah, seems quite relieved that she doesn't have to lug this big boy around anymore. We're pretty sure his dad must have been a Percheron - that's the only explanation for his size.


He's got a laid back personality and has finally figured out where mom's teats are and how to get breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hurray! The first couple of days were a bit scary since he didn't seem to understand what he needed to find - and although he tasted mom's hay and drank water out of her buckets, we worried that he wouldn't thrive if he didn't figure it out quick.


When we move Delilah and Finn to another stall so we can clean the "nursery", Finn isn't the slightest bit worried about mom being out of sight as long as there's a human around to scratch him. Delilah isn't quite so placid - she worries and calls him until we lead/shove him into the stall with her. Sometimes that's quite a chore - he doesn't feel he has to get up when you tug on his halter or even lift various body parts.


We turned Delilah and Finn out today for a while. Finn thinks outside is pretty interesting. Mom wasn't here today with her camera, but I'm sure she'll take plenty of photos next weekend.


Stew, a Jersey bull calf, joined the farm on Friday. He's a month and a half old and destined for the freezer when he gets big enough.


Right now he gets calf milk replacement from a 2 litre bottle twice a day, plus hay and grain. He arrived in the back of a mini van - he's not very big yet. When he's a little bigger, he'll move out of the stall and live in the small field.

He loves to run and play in the farm yard after his bottle, but is easy to coax back into the barn for his hay and grain.


Princess is at her new home in Lombardy now. Her new family was happy to see her and look forward to riding and driving her after she's gained a bit more weight. They have a couple of pintos and a donkey and a goat to keep Princess company.

Maacks Nikki (aka Nikki), a registered Paint mare, is home again. She spent a few months in Winchester Springs, but was the bottom of the herd and ended up being bullied. She'll get the attention and tender loving care that she needs now that she's back.

Hopefully, Nikki will regain her confidence and feel better quickly.

More June news!!

Princess is sold and going to her new home on Saturday. She'll be a companion for a donkey and a friend to the family.

Princess is a really sweet mare, broke to ride and to drive. She's about 16 years old, so with some love and kindness - and good vet and farrier care - she should be around for many more years.

We wish her the best of luck in her new home and look forward to seeing baby pictures next year.

We think she's pregnant (due April 2009) by Spot as they were together in the same field for a month or so at the former owner's place.

We had to put our leopard Appaloosa stallion down on June 4, 2008. We think he had a stroke (it's the vet's guess, too). His behaviour changed overnight and it would have been too dangerous to keep him alive - and since he couldn't tell us what was wrong, we couldn't fix it. Mom and I patted and talked to him right up to the end.

Star was 24. He'll be missed.

We hope that horse heaven is green grass, unfenced pastures and plenty of beautiful mares for Star.

We hope to have several foals by him next year. We're pretty sure that mom's mare, Beauty, is pregnant, and Gypsy, a registered Appy mare, spent three weeks enjoying his company.

Dewey is heading home tonight. She spent the last 5 weeks at the farm to be bred to Star.

She was a maiden mare when she arrived, but not any longer. Hopefully she'll produce a healthy well-coloured foal next spring - we look forward to photos that show how her genes combined with Star's to produce a wild leopard foal.

Delilah, a rescue from Lachute Auctions (she was actually on the meat man's trailer when she was purchased after the auction), is due to foal anytime. She was so wide at one point that she had to squeeze through the four foot-wide stall doors. We've been watching her get bigger and bigger, but it looks as though she may have her foal in the next 48 hours. Her udder started dripping milk today - and that's a pretty good sign that it's time.

Watch for baby pictures soon!

The foal was sold in utero as a mystery foal as we have no history on either Delilah or the stallion. We'll send photos to the new owner as soon as we can - she's waiting anxiously for news.

New ponies at Dreamscape Acres in May

This month, we added a couple of new boarders and a pair of ponies for Mom and I.

First in were Lori's pair: Toby and Little Girl

Toby is a young paint colt. He was gelded shortly after he arrived.

Little Girl doesn't have a real name yet - someone special will get to name her after her birthday.

She's a fine pony - palomino, and perfect for a certain little girl.

Toby and Little Girl have finished their quarantine period -and have been checked out by the vet and farrier, so now they have all their shots and nicely trimmed hooves. They're both well-behaved and live together in a small paddock by the race track.

Right at the end of the month, a neighbour let me know that he had a pony mare for sale. The original owner was too ill to keep her, so she was for sale at a great price. Princess came home - she walked with me along the side of the highway that night.

Princess is a 16 year old pony mare. She's 46" (11 2 hh) and broke to ride and drive. She's a little thin right now, but a real sweetie to handle.

Princess is for sale for $500. Mom would like to keep her, but we have a lot of horses here already.

Next came Spot (Spot My Dream). Mom bought Spot. He's a 2 year old stallion that thinks he should be top of the heap. Once he's out of quarantine (standard procedure for all new additions), we're going to let Sneakers teach him some manners.

Mom will see if she can register him as a Pony of the Americas (POA). If not, she'll check out the International Spotted Horse Registry and see if they'll register him. He's awfully cute and, as long as he's not near a mare in season, well behaved. He's broke to drive and was driven by a couple of young boys.

There are many other horses and ponies at the farm - some will be here as long as they're alive like Reba, S'Heir and Sneakers.