Thank you to the Johnston family for their generous loan of a round pen for the last year. We hope to buy it from them by the end of the month (where is that darn money tree??).
It's been invaluable when we bring home rescues and need to quarantine them for a week or two until the vet says they're ready to join other horses in a paddock. The adjustable panels mean we can create a safe place for an injured horse on stall rest to get some fresh air (and grass) rather than being cooped up in a stall for weeks at a time.
Thank you very much for the hen and chicks, Ruth! They now have a moveable chicken run outside in the back yard with a shelter full of straw for the hen to brood the chicks. There's one broody hen and ten chicks, all colours, including cream, chipmunk-striped, black, yellow, and spotted. We can't wait to see what colours they'll be when they get their adult feathers.
The original sale of Sly fell through - the purchaser didn't have the money. Sly will be vetted by a student of Carol Miller (Willowbank Stables in Treadwell, near Plantagenet - therapeutic riding) shortly and should be sold by the end of next week. We'll be sad to see him sold, but know he'll be in good hands. He'll continue his career as a dressage and therapeutic riding horse there.
Natasha is out to stay for the weekend and help with barn chores. She rode Dash, Mac and Sneakers, and groomed Spot and the calves, Belinda and Stew on Saturday. She plans to do more riding today and tomorrow. We appreciate your help, Natasha!!
Next weekend is the Russell Fair and the Carp Fair is at the end of September. The Metcalfe Fair, the last one of the season, is at the beginning of October. We haven't decided to enter horses in the shows yet - or even which ones. We'll post in the blog when we know!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Summer's almost over
Wow! It's hard to believe that Labour Day is on Monday.
That means that fall is on its way and summer is virtually over. I hope the warm days and cool nights last well into the fall this year - we still have so much more to do!
A friend offered me a spare straw of semen from Outrageous Fortune, a chestnut frame overo Canadian Sport Horse stallion http://www.baystarfarms.ca/outrageousfortune.htm, so we gave Nikki (Maaks Nikki - a solid registered Paint mare) a hot shot to bring her into season and an ovulation shot, then had the vet come out and do the artificial insemination (AI). We'll have the vet back again next month to see if she caught. We've got our fingers crossed!
One stall is now rented for the winter, so there's only one left. We have room for one or two more horses on outside board, too.
Gypsy, aka Bugs Blue Chip (a registered Appy mare) is coming back to us. She was adopted by a family in the summer, but the teenagers' interests have changed and they're giving her back to us. The next time the vet is out, we'll have her checked to see if she's pregnant by Star and then decide if we're going to put her up for adoption again right away. We visited her today and brought a hen and eight chicks home with us.
We have a new mare coming to the farm mid September. Her name is Dreamer, aka Dreaming of Willy. She's a registered Paint mare, in foal to a cremello Quarter Horse-type stallion. Her foal is for sale in utereo for $300 and is due sometime between November and January. Since Dreamer is a strawberry roan overo Paint with a blonde mane and tail, there's a good chance that her foal will be a palomino Paint. Dreamer will be bred to Spook (Cool Blue Dream) next summer by AI.
Finn is settling in happily at his new home with Leisa near Smiths Falls. Delilah is happy again and regaining some of her weight - nursing Finn was taking too much out of her.
That means that fall is on its way and summer is virtually over. I hope the warm days and cool nights last well into the fall this year - we still have so much more to do!
A friend offered me a spare straw of semen from Outrageous Fortune, a chestnut frame overo Canadian Sport Horse stallion http://www.baystarfarms.ca/outrageousfortune.htm, so we gave Nikki (Maaks Nikki - a solid registered Paint mare) a hot shot to bring her into season and an ovulation shot, then had the vet come out and do the artificial insemination (AI). We'll have the vet back again next month to see if she caught. We've got our fingers crossed!
One stall is now rented for the winter, so there's only one left. We have room for one or two more horses on outside board, too.
Gypsy, aka Bugs Blue Chip (a registered Appy mare) is coming back to us. She was adopted by a family in the summer, but the teenagers' interests have changed and they're giving her back to us. The next time the vet is out, we'll have her checked to see if she's pregnant by Star and then decide if we're going to put her up for adoption again right away. We visited her today and brought a hen and eight chicks home with us.
We have a new mare coming to the farm mid September. Her name is Dreamer, aka Dreaming of Willy. She's a registered Paint mare, in foal to a cremello Quarter Horse-type stallion. Her foal is for sale in utereo for $300 and is due sometime between November and January. Since Dreamer is a strawberry roan overo Paint with a blonde mane and tail, there's a good chance that her foal will be a palomino Paint. Dreamer will be bred to Spook (Cool Blue Dream) next summer by AI.
Finn is settling in happily at his new home with Leisa near Smiths Falls. Delilah is happy again and regaining some of her weight - nursing Finn was taking too much out of her.
Monday, August 25, 2008
More August updates...
We'd like to thank Moonshadow Farm for donating 50-100 round bales of fine horse hay to help us with our horse rescue!! Thank you!
A few bales came today. Tomorrow, we'll unroll them on the roadway down to the barn and rebale them as small squares so they can go up in the loft to be fed inside in the winter. We'll store as much hay as we can in the loft after we rebale it - it helps insulate the barn and keep it warm, as well as feed the horses that come inside on cold nights.
Finn left for his new home today. He's busy making friends with the horses at his new home just east of Smiths Falls. Leisa (his new owner) is happy to finally have him home.
Delilah (Finn's mom) was a bit upset and broke out of her stall while we were gone. A neighbour saw her and put her out in the field with Firecracker. Delilah pulled the T-post by the gate out and went looking for Finn again. This time, Fire was out with her. Delilah didn't go far, but did go out to the road. Luckily, the same neighbour saw her and put her in the barn (a different stall - we're not sure how she got out the first time as nothing was broken) and put Firecracker in another stall. Both Delilah and Fire are fine.
It's wonderful to have caring neighbours!
SuperEx 2008
Sneakers and Nikki were wonderful ambassadors for our farm while they were at SuperEx. Nikki amazed us by letting strangers stroke her ears (she was very head shy when she came back) and even putting her head down over the gate to let children pat her. Sneakers sure enjoyed the petting zoo food that children gave him! We'd like to thank SuperEx and the staff for providing excellent stalls and care for our horses in the seven days that Sneakers, Reba and Nikki were there. Thanks to Erin, Mick, Hank and all the teenagers who stripped stalls every morning for making our stay as pleasant as possible!
The week at SuperEx was really busy. One volunteer went in early in the morning to hold the horses while the guys stripped the stalls (important to keep the flies and smell down) and put down new shavings. That person then fed the horses, took off stable wraps, gave them a good grooming (all of them were comfortable enough to lie down to sleep each night so they were decorated with shavings and manure stains), and fed them their breakfast. We arrived about 9-10 am and gave the horses at least a half an hour of walk/trot work in the ring to work out any kinks and burn off some energy. Since our horses live outside 24/7 most of the time, they're not used to being in a stall 24 hours a day.
We stayed all day and well into the evening, answering questions and chatting with the public. We put on four therapeutic riding demonstrations in conjunction with Willowbank Stables (Monday-Thursday). The last person out swept up the booth and in front of the stalls, put out the garbage, and secured the booth for the night.
Since SuperEx is open from 12 noon to 11 pm, that made for some awfully long days. All the chores at home had to be done before we left - and Mac and Soul had very late dinners!
Jasper and Daisy were a big hit with the public, too. They both demonstrated their service dog abilities in the ring and in the booth. Jasper is 5 months old, but so calm that he slept through most of SuperEx. Daisy stayed home part of the week as she enjoys the peace and quiet of being able to sleep her day away on the couch with out Jasper pestering her to play.
Susan took some time off to do the morning shift. She lives in town and likes to get up early, so that made sense.
Natasha volunteered for 6 of the 7 days. She rode, scooped poop, groomed and loved the horses and dealt with the long hours (she stayed at the farm for the week and traveled with us) without a single complaint. She was a real asset to the team!! Thank you, Natasha!
Maryse also put in long hours at the booth and with the horses. She volunteered at SuperEx, taking time off from her business to help out, after meeting us on Tuesday. Thank you, Maryse!
We're working on plans for next year's booth already - and really hope that all the people who picked up business cards give us a call to find out how they can help. The public picked up almost 100 business cards for Dreamscape Acres Horse Rescue.
A few bales came today. Tomorrow, we'll unroll them on the roadway down to the barn and rebale them as small squares so they can go up in the loft to be fed inside in the winter. We'll store as much hay as we can in the loft after we rebale it - it helps insulate the barn and keep it warm, as well as feed the horses that come inside on cold nights.
Finn left for his new home today. He's busy making friends with the horses at his new home just east of Smiths Falls. Leisa (his new owner) is happy to finally have him home.
Delilah (Finn's mom) was a bit upset and broke out of her stall while we were gone. A neighbour saw her and put her out in the field with Firecracker. Delilah pulled the T-post by the gate out and went looking for Finn again. This time, Fire was out with her. Delilah didn't go far, but did go out to the road. Luckily, the same neighbour saw her and put her in the barn (a different stall - we're not sure how she got out the first time as nothing was broken) and put Firecracker in another stall. Both Delilah and Fire are fine.
It's wonderful to have caring neighbours!
SuperEx 2008
Sneakers and Nikki were wonderful ambassadors for our farm while they were at SuperEx. Nikki amazed us by letting strangers stroke her ears (she was very head shy when she came back) and even putting her head down over the gate to let children pat her. Sneakers sure enjoyed the petting zoo food that children gave him! We'd like to thank SuperEx and the staff for providing excellent stalls and care for our horses in the seven days that Sneakers, Reba and Nikki were there. Thanks to Erin, Mick, Hank and all the teenagers who stripped stalls every morning for making our stay as pleasant as possible!
The week at SuperEx was really busy. One volunteer went in early in the morning to hold the horses while the guys stripped the stalls (important to keep the flies and smell down) and put down new shavings. That person then fed the horses, took off stable wraps, gave them a good grooming (all of them were comfortable enough to lie down to sleep each night so they were decorated with shavings and manure stains), and fed them their breakfast. We arrived about 9-10 am and gave the horses at least a half an hour of walk/trot work in the ring to work out any kinks and burn off some energy. Since our horses live outside 24/7 most of the time, they're not used to being in a stall 24 hours a day.
We stayed all day and well into the evening, answering questions and chatting with the public. We put on four therapeutic riding demonstrations in conjunction with Willowbank Stables (Monday-Thursday). The last person out swept up the booth and in front of the stalls, put out the garbage, and secured the booth for the night.
Since SuperEx is open from 12 noon to 11 pm, that made for some awfully long days. All the chores at home had to be done before we left - and Mac and Soul had very late dinners!
Jasper and Daisy were a big hit with the public, too. They both demonstrated their service dog abilities in the ring and in the booth. Jasper is 5 months old, but so calm that he slept through most of SuperEx. Daisy stayed home part of the week as she enjoys the peace and quiet of being able to sleep her day away on the couch with out Jasper pestering her to play.
Susan took some time off to do the morning shift. She lives in town and likes to get up early, so that made sense.
Natasha volunteered for 6 of the 7 days. She rode, scooped poop, groomed and loved the horses and dealt with the long hours (she stayed at the farm for the week and traveled with us) without a single complaint. She was a real asset to the team!! Thank you, Natasha!
Maryse also put in long hours at the booth and with the horses. She volunteered at SuperEx, taking time off from her business to help out, after meeting us on Tuesday. Thank you, Maryse!
We're working on plans for next year's booth already - and really hope that all the people who picked up business cards give us a call to find out how they can help. The public picked up almost 100 business cards for Dreamscape Acres Horse Rescue.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
August activities
August is a busy month on the farm and away. It's fall fair season, and some of our horses travel to fairs to participate in therapeutic riding demonstrations with Willowbank Stables of Treadwell, On. That means trailering and that takes one of us away from the farm with horses fairly often. Sneakers, Reba and Nikki all spent some time at Ottawa Central Canadian Exhibition (SuperEx) this week.
Finn will be leaving us shortly. He started the weaning process and will be heading off to his new home before the end of the month. Delilah doesn't seem to mind the daily separation time at all. Finn has been eating hay and drinking water from the troughs and a bucket for over a month. He's growing so fast that Delilah is shedding too much weight even with unlimited hay and twice a day grain rations trying to nurse him. His curly black foal coat is shedding out gray (but still curly). He's going to be a handsome fellow! At 3 months, he's already close to 13 hh high. He sure loves his daily scratches and attention.
Natasha works with Dash regularly. She rides him and free lunges him - and introduced him to jumping while free lunging. He loves it and has great form. Dash accepted the harness and showed us that he understands driving as well as riding.
Natasha also rides Nikki and Mackenzie when she has time - and is learning to drive. We hitched Sneakers up and drove him all the way to the Tim Hortons in Casselman and back one day - Sneakers was pleased as punch. Several people stopped to pat him and tell him how handsome he is along the way, too.
Nikki didn't catch when we bred her to Beau, so we're looking for another stud for her. Since she's a registered Paint, that would be our preference. If we don't find the right one for her soon, we'll wait until next year and breed her to Cool Blue Dream, aka Spook.
Firecracker finally shed out her foal/winter coat and is a beautiful bay pony. She's about 12 2 hh now and should finish close to 14 hh. It's hard to believe that she's a year old already. Her mom, Beauty, is definitely in foal to Star and due in April, 2009.
Jesse and Deer are moving to another farm this month. It's been a long drive for their owner to come and see them. Hopefully their new home will be closer and their owner will be able to spend more time with them. We wish them well.
We have a couple of places open for indoor or outdoor board for September. Contact us for rates and terms at dreamscapeacres@yahoo.ca.
Finn will be leaving us shortly. He started the weaning process and will be heading off to his new home before the end of the month. Delilah doesn't seem to mind the daily separation time at all. Finn has been eating hay and drinking water from the troughs and a bucket for over a month. He's growing so fast that Delilah is shedding too much weight even with unlimited hay and twice a day grain rations trying to nurse him. His curly black foal coat is shedding out gray (but still curly). He's going to be a handsome fellow! At 3 months, he's already close to 13 hh high. He sure loves his daily scratches and attention.
Natasha works with Dash regularly. She rides him and free lunges him - and introduced him to jumping while free lunging. He loves it and has great form. Dash accepted the harness and showed us that he understands driving as well as riding.
Natasha also rides Nikki and Mackenzie when she has time - and is learning to drive. We hitched Sneakers up and drove him all the way to the Tim Hortons in Casselman and back one day - Sneakers was pleased as punch. Several people stopped to pat him and tell him how handsome he is along the way, too.
Nikki didn't catch when we bred her to Beau, so we're looking for another stud for her. Since she's a registered Paint, that would be our preference. If we don't find the right one for her soon, we'll wait until next year and breed her to Cool Blue Dream, aka Spook.
Firecracker finally shed out her foal/winter coat and is a beautiful bay pony. She's about 12 2 hh now and should finish close to 14 hh. It's hard to believe that she's a year old already. Her mom, Beauty, is definitely in foal to Star and due in April, 2009.
Jesse and Deer are moving to another farm this month. It's been a long drive for their owner to come and see them. Hopefully their new home will be closer and their owner will be able to spend more time with them. We wish them well.
We have a couple of places open for indoor or outdoor board for September. Contact us for rates and terms at dreamscapeacres@yahoo.ca.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Mitsou - rest in peace
Here's a pretty picture to make you smile and know how lucky we are - Mitsou, the little mare in the photo, came to Dreamscape Acres two weeks ago. She belonged to a nearby farmer who didn't take care of her properly and let her founder (like gout, but much more serious in a horse because their feet have solid walls) and didn't correct the problem.
Her diet of beet pulp and grain poisoned her system and let the swelling damage her feet beyond repair. Since all four feet had been affected and neglected for too long, there was little hope that she would recover, but we did all that we could. Our farrier looked at her and we had the vet check her out to see if there was anything we could do.
We did the best we could for her, but the vet said that Mitsou would never recover and couldn't live a quality life on bute (an anti-inflamatory powder) for long - and would be in agony without it.
Her former owner agreed to do the right thing for her. She was put down yesterday morning - she was only 6 years old.
Her last two weeks were relatively pain-free - as pain-free as we could make them. She spent her days outside in a paddock with lots of hay and water (safe food) and no grain or fresh green grass to aggravate the founder - and lots of bute. She was a happy soul despite her pain and nickered and whinnied at us every time we were near, limping over for a scratch and a pat. Sometimes being a party to a rescue doesn't have a happy ending, but you have to hope you made their life a bit better and that they go to a good place in the afterworld.
Her last two weeks were relatively pain-free - as pain-free as we could make them. She spent her days outside in a paddock with lots of hay and water (safe food) and no grain or fresh green grass to aggravate the founder - and lots of bute. She was a happy soul despite her pain and nickered and whinnied at us every time we were near, limping over for a scratch and a pat. Sometimes being a party to a rescue doesn't have a happy ending, but you have to hope you made their life a bit better and that they go to a good place in the afterworld.
May she soon be galloping in green pastures; no longer in pain.
Stay healthy, love those around you, and remember that all life is transient, so make the best of it.
Stay healthy, love those around you, and remember that all life is transient, so make the best of it.
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