Blame it on a busy mind. I typed Amelia instead of Abby when I wrote about who was interested in buying Autumn already. I edited the other post today.
Daisy went home to Jenn. L's place on Thursday. She'll be turned out for the fall and winter with Jenn's thoroughbreds. Jenn may get a lot of exercise trying to catch her in a big field - she's not keen on being caught, although once you catch her, she's pretty good. Spot is back in with the boys and misses Daisy.
Levis is home again. He has new aluminum navicular shoes on his front feet. The farrier warned that they may come off easily, so if you're in the field with Levis, check to see that he still has both of them. Mike, Jenn L's farrier, donated the shoes. Thanks, Mike!!
Caution: Reba is loose on the property to eat grass around the racetrack. She goes in at night. We're trying to fatten her up for the winter. If you see her in the front yard on the lawn, please lead her back to the racetrack. She scares the drivers on the highway when she grazes on the front lawn.
She's thin because she's old - the vet estimated that she's probably over 30 now. Her back teeth are really worn down and they don't grind her food very well, so that affects her ability to digest it. She gets grain and extruded feed (more digestible) every day to supplement whatever grass she eats.
If you're riding out on the track or trails and find her annoying you, feel free to put her in a field.
We're looking for wood to build shelters and volunteers to build and erect them. We'd like to make sure each winter paddock has a solid shed this year - and perhaps even put a large shed in the big field in the racetrack. If you'd like to help, please let us know.
You can book your place now for breeding next spring to either Spot My Dream (POA-type pony aka Spot, soon to be registered as an International Spotted Horse) or Cool Blue Dream (Paint stallion - aka Spook). Send us an email soon.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
More September news
Busy, busy, busy! Lots of things happen every single day on the farm.
Yesterday, Mac and Levis headed off to Jenn. L.'s place. Mac is staying there for the winter so he can hang out with other thoroughbreds and enjoy "fat camp". He'll gain weight on Jenn's grain and extruded feed ration plan and have a stall and blankets and all the extras. Jenn's mom may ride Mac, too, if she feels comfortable on a 16 hh horse. Mac is very quiet and very good for everyone.
Levis will be back at Dreamscape Acres on Thursday after he has his feet looked at. He may just need his shoes pulled for the winter - but we'll let Jenn's farrier give his expert opinion on Levis' lameness.
We have a new horse on the farm: Roxy - a 2004 registered APHA mare - is here for the winter for training and to get a few miles on her. Her registered name is Strike Me Magnificent and she's a (very rare) blue roan and white overo Paint. Roxy belongs to Jenn L. She's lightly started under saddle, but needs some more work. She's for sale for $3000. Once we have some photos and a video or two, we'll post her for sale on Equistation.
Elmer picked Gypsy up today. The vet didn't make it out yesterday, so she didn't get her pregnancy check. It was great to see Elmer and he made a big fuss over Gypsy and gave us all the news about Queenie. Queenie is happy and healthy and ridden about three times a week on the trails on Elmer's 200 acre property. Although mom is sad that Gypsy was adopted, she's glad Gypsy has a good home.
The vet came today and checked Nikki. She's not pregnant. Darn! Oh well, we'll try again next spring.
Autumn got the once-over from the vet and he gave her a shot to relax her tendons a bit so that she can put her tiny hooves flat on the ground. He said that tight tendons are pretty normal for foals and that it is unlikely to affect her in the future. Abby J. is in love with her and may buy her before she's registered.
Mom will take more photos of Autumn on the weekend. She gets to go outside with Dreamer every day while the weather is nice. She delights in cantering around the paddock and leaping and bucking to burn off some energy while she's out. Dreamer gets a bit worried when Autumn gets too far away, so she's getting her exercise, too!
While Jeff (our vet from Dundas Veterinary Clinic) was at the farm, he took a look at Maggie's eye. Maggie has uveitis, as does Scrappy. Uveitis is sort of like glaucoma in humans - sometimes early medical intervention can stop the damage, but other times, the disease progresses very quickly and there's little you can do to stop it. Uveitis can be triggered by an injury, bacterial infection or allergies. No one knows what triggered Maggie's uveitis.
Unfortunately, it looks as though Maggie will lose her eye as the disease has progressed too far for drugs to help. Removing her eye sounds harsh, but she can't see out of it at all, and if the pressure continues to build, it could rupture and cause excrutiating pain. She's got some drops to help for now, but she'll have to have surgery soon.
Scrappy's uveitis means that she's blind and needs occasional steriod treatments, but it hasn't slowed her down much.
Horses with uveitis are often extremely light sensitive, so both Maggie and Scrappy wear their fly masks all year round - they can have them off at night and when it's raining or overcast. Bright light can make the iris go into spasm - and as you can imagine, that hurts. Their flymasks act sort of like sunglasses and cut down on the amount of light that gets to their eyes.
Natasha came out on Monday to see Autumn and she'll be back tonight to ride Dash. We like Natasha and enjoy her visits! She's doing really well in school this year - she knows that if she lets her homework slip, she won't be able to come out to visit as often.
Yesterday, Mac and Levis headed off to Jenn. L.'s place. Mac is staying there for the winter so he can hang out with other thoroughbreds and enjoy "fat camp". He'll gain weight on Jenn's grain and extruded feed ration plan and have a stall and blankets and all the extras. Jenn's mom may ride Mac, too, if she feels comfortable on a 16 hh horse. Mac is very quiet and very good for everyone.
Levis will be back at Dreamscape Acres on Thursday after he has his feet looked at. He may just need his shoes pulled for the winter - but we'll let Jenn's farrier give his expert opinion on Levis' lameness.
We have a new horse on the farm: Roxy - a 2004 registered APHA mare - is here for the winter for training and to get a few miles on her. Her registered name is Strike Me Magnificent and she's a (very rare) blue roan and white overo Paint. Roxy belongs to Jenn L. She's lightly started under saddle, but needs some more work. She's for sale for $3000. Once we have some photos and a video or two, we'll post her for sale on Equistation.
Elmer picked Gypsy up today. The vet didn't make it out yesterday, so she didn't get her pregnancy check. It was great to see Elmer and he made a big fuss over Gypsy and gave us all the news about Queenie. Queenie is happy and healthy and ridden about three times a week on the trails on Elmer's 200 acre property. Although mom is sad that Gypsy was adopted, she's glad Gypsy has a good home.
The vet came today and checked Nikki. She's not pregnant. Darn! Oh well, we'll try again next spring.
Autumn got the once-over from the vet and he gave her a shot to relax her tendons a bit so that she can put her tiny hooves flat on the ground. He said that tight tendons are pretty normal for foals and that it is unlikely to affect her in the future. Abby J. is in love with her and may buy her before she's registered.
Mom will take more photos of Autumn on the weekend. She gets to go outside with Dreamer every day while the weather is nice. She delights in cantering around the paddock and leaping and bucking to burn off some energy while she's out. Dreamer gets a bit worried when Autumn gets too far away, so she's getting her exercise, too!
While Jeff (our vet from Dundas Veterinary Clinic) was at the farm, he took a look at Maggie's eye. Maggie has uveitis, as does Scrappy. Uveitis is sort of like glaucoma in humans - sometimes early medical intervention can stop the damage, but other times, the disease progresses very quickly and there's little you can do to stop it. Uveitis can be triggered by an injury, bacterial infection or allergies. No one knows what triggered Maggie's uveitis.
Unfortunately, it looks as though Maggie will lose her eye as the disease has progressed too far for drugs to help. Removing her eye sounds harsh, but she can't see out of it at all, and if the pressure continues to build, it could rupture and cause excrutiating pain. She's got some drops to help for now, but she'll have to have surgery soon.
Scrappy's uveitis means that she's blind and needs occasional steriod treatments, but it hasn't slowed her down much.
Horses with uveitis are often extremely light sensitive, so both Maggie and Scrappy wear their fly masks all year round - they can have them off at night and when it's raining or overcast. Bright light can make the iris go into spasm - and as you can imagine, that hurts. Their flymasks act sort of like sunglasses and cut down on the amount of light that gets to their eyes.
Natasha came out on Monday to see Autumn and she'll be back tonight to ride Dash. We like Natasha and enjoy her visits! She's doing really well in school this year - she knows that if she lets her homework slip, she won't be able to come out to visit as often.
Monday, September 22, 2008
September news!
It's been a busy month - and it's not over yet.
Dreamscape Acres welcomes Natalie and Gilligan (aka Gilly). Gilly is a very handsome gelding - at least that's what Soul and Scrappy say.
Jennifer G. has chosen to sponsor Delilah. Thank you, Jennifer G.!
Sponsors are always welcome to come out and pet, groom, and if the horse is broke and healthy, ride "their" horse. It's a great way to have the benefits of horse ownership without the unknown costs - you pay a fixed amount each month that goes to the care and feeding of that horse and frees up some more money for other rescues.
We picked up Dreamer (Dreamin' of Willy) on Friday. She was very pregnant - due anytime between now and the end of October. Her former owner, Caroline B. H., wasn't sure of her due date. This photo shows Dreamer's rear view - that bulging belly is all baby!
Dreamer has one and one half ears - no one knows quite how she lost the tip of her right ear. It could have been frostbite or an injury, but whatever it was, it's well healed and doesn't bother her at all.
Dreamscape Acres also welcomes Jennifer N. and Maggie. Maggie is a young Paint mare. Jennifer N. is also considering an on-property lease of Sneakers for her daughter to ride.
We got a great deal on a "floor model" wooden shed from Home Hardware. The shed will be our new tack room once it's insulated and we install saddle and bridle racks. That means that the tack will be close to the barn and I should be able to park my car in the garage this winter. Hurray!
Thank you to Mirka for donating (through FullCircles) several sheets of hardboard to finish the inside of the new tack room after it's insulated.
Thank you to Gabriel (Natasha's grandfather) for the round bale of straw that he delivered on Saturday - it came just in the nick of time!
The chicks will soon have all their adult feathers. As you can see, right now they're covered in fluffy down with their wing feathers. Some of the chicks have very tall tail feathers now, too. They love grasshoppers, leftover greens from dinner, and the chicken scratch that we give them every day. Daisy loves to stick her nose in the chicken pen as we feed and water them - we're not sure what she thinks they are, but she doesn't hurt them, not even when they get out of the pen.
Serge made great progress on the chicken coop - it's up, has a roof, walls and insulation, and even a trap door so the chickens will be able to go out into their run in the summer.
Thank you very much to John R., a certified electrician, for donating his time and some supplies to fix the electric in the barn, install lights in the outdoor arena, and wire the new tack room and chicken coop.
Jennifer L. brought us Levis - a 6-year old Quarter Horse gelding in need of some rest and relaxation to deal with some lameness issues. Natasha will do some light work with him on the trails.
The vet comes tomorrow to check Nikki to see if she's pregnant. While he's here, he'll check Gypsy, too. Elmer is coming to pick Gypsy up on Wednesday and mom would really like to know if she's pregnant before she goes.
Dreamscape Acres welcomes Natalie and Gilligan (aka Gilly). Gilly is a very handsome gelding - at least that's what Soul and Scrappy say.Jennifer G. has chosen to sponsor Delilah. Thank you, Jennifer G.!
Sponsors are always welcome to come out and pet, groom, and if the horse is broke and healthy, ride "their" horse. It's a great way to have the benefits of horse ownership without the unknown costs - you pay a fixed amount each month that goes to the care and feeding of that horse and frees up some more money for other rescues.
We picked up Dreamer (Dreamin' of Willy) on Friday. She was very pregnant - due anytime between now and the end of October. Her former owner, Caroline B. H., wasn't sure of her due date. This photo shows Dreamer's rear view - that bulging belly is all baby!Dreamer has one and one half ears - no one knows quite how she lost the tip of her right ear. It could have been frostbite or an injury, but whatever it was, it's well healed and doesn't bother her at all.
Dreamscape Acres also welcomes Jennifer N. and Maggie. Maggie is a young Paint mare. Jennifer N. is also considering an on-property lease of Sneakers for her daughter to ride.We got a great deal on a "floor model" wooden shed from Home Hardware. The shed will be our new tack room once it's insulated and we install saddle and bridle racks. That means that the tack will be close to the barn and I should be able to park my car in the garage this winter. Hurray!
Thank you to Mirka for donating (through FullCircles) several sheets of hardboard to finish the inside of the new tack room after it's insulated.
Thank you to Gabriel (Natasha's grandfather) for the round bale of straw that he delivered on Saturday - it came just in the nick of time!
The chicks will soon have all their adult feathers. As you can see, right now they're covered in fluffy down with their wing feathers. Some of the chicks have very tall tail feathers now, too. They love grasshoppers, leftover greens from dinner, and the chicken scratch that we give them every day. Daisy loves to stick her nose in the chicken pen as we feed and water them - we're not sure what she thinks they are, but she doesn't hurt them, not even when they get out of the pen.Serge made great progress on the chicken coop - it's up, has a roof, walls and insulation, and even a trap door so the chickens will be able to go out into their run in the summer.
Thank you very much to John R., a certified electrician, for donating his time and some supplies to fix the electric in the barn, install lights in the outdoor arena, and wire the new tack room and chicken coop.
Jennifer L. brought us Levis - a 6-year old Quarter Horse gelding in need of some rest and relaxation to deal with some lameness issues. Natasha will do some light work with him on the trails.The vet comes tomorrow to check Nikki to see if she's pregnant. While he's here, he'll check Gypsy, too. Elmer is coming to pick Gypsy up on Wednesday and mom would really like to know if she's pregnant before she goes.
Gypsy and Levis enjoyed riding on the new trail that goes around behind the race track. Gypsy is a kind, gentle mare - no saddle or bridle required with this horse! I hope she enjoys spending time with Queenie and Elmer at his place in Portland.
And finally, thank you to Dreamer for a beautiful palomino filly! Jigs Autumn Dream arrived this morning (Sept 22) about 2 am. She's gorgeous! She's about 6.5 hours old in this photo. Autumn, unlike Finn, had no problem finding the milk bar and needed a nap after a healthy drink.
Autumn will be registered as an International Spotted Horse. Although her mom is a registered Paint and it's obvious that Autumn is also a Paint, her sire is an unregistered cremello Quarter Horse stallion (Jigs). We plan to breed Soul to Jigs in the spring.
Upcoming Events:
Sunday, October 26 - Halloween Fun Day
Everyone is invited!
Bring your kids and your spouses for a fun afternoon at the farm.
There will be games and prizes for all the kids and "kids at heart". You can dress up your horse/pony or one of ours. Prizes for costumes on kids and ponies - and even pony treats for our friends.
Let us know as soon as possible if you're able to come so we can plan the games.
We'll have a potluck dinner at the end of the day and a bonfire. If the weather is miserable, we'll postpone it to the next week. Hopefully we'll have a glorious fall day!
Parking:
Lastly, a quick note about parking. We love to have you visit, but find it difficult to get the farm chores done if you park in the laneway to the barn or in the driveway. Please park up by the house on the lefthand side under the trees - we'll make sure that area is plowed for parking in the winter, too.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
September days
Well, things are looking up. All of the indoor board spaces are filled - or are booked and will be by mid month. We can bring in one, possible two, more horse(s) on outdoor board. Call soon, or there won't be any room left.
Jennifer L. and I picked up a new pony at the Lachute Auction on Tuesday. Daisy is a sweet little pinto mare - a bit chubby - that will be a girlfriend for Spot (mom's little POA-type stallion) after her quarantine period is over. Once she's bred, she'll go to Jennifer's place for the winter and to be used as a lead line pony for her sons. Daisy (the pony) will come back when she comes close to her foaling date next August and stay until her foal is ready to wean.
Jasper gets bigger every day! He just about fills the big Lazyboy chair in the living room now. He likes to go for walks around the half mile track and play with Tink when she comes out to the farm. Daisy (the dog) is still top dog, though, and she doesn't hesitate to tell him when he's out of line.
Mom's working on figuring out how to put the website back up. A friend generously donated space on his server (http://www.canadianisp.com/ and http://www.pennypinchernewspaper.com/) so the website should be live again soon. Once we figure out FTP and whatever else we need to know, we'll update the photos and other information on the site - and keep it that way.
We have lights in the riding ring now! That means that we can ride in the ring after dark safely.
Natasha is out for the weekend again and giving every horse (especially her pony, Dash) a little loving and some riding time. Thanks, Natasha!
Mom photographed a neat spider when she was out last week. It appears to be a female Banded Garden Spider, Argiope trifasciata. It has a white, yellow and black striped body and is living in the cucumber plants. Despite her size (she's about an inch and a half long and about an inch across - and that doesn't include her legs), she doesn't seem inclined to bite. She's hiding under the leaves of the cucumber plant, perfectly camoflaged by the shade and bright spots caused by the sun shining on the leaves.
Jennifer L. and I picked up a new pony at the Lachute Auction on Tuesday. Daisy is a sweet little pinto mare - a bit chubby - that will be a girlfriend for Spot (mom's little POA-type stallion) after her quarantine period is over. Once she's bred, she'll go to Jennifer's place for the winter and to be used as a lead line pony for her sons. Daisy (the pony) will come back when she comes close to her foaling date next August and stay until her foal is ready to wean.Jasper gets bigger every day! He just about fills the big Lazyboy chair in the living room now. He likes to go for walks around the half mile track and play with Tink when she comes out to the farm. Daisy (the dog) is still top dog, though, and she doesn't hesitate to tell him when he's out of line.
Mom's working on figuring out how to put the website back up. A friend generously donated space on his server (http://www.canadianisp.com/ and http://www.pennypinchernewspaper.com/) so the website should be live again soon. Once we figure out FTP and whatever else we need to know, we'll update the photos and other information on the site - and keep it that way.
We have lights in the riding ring now! That means that we can ride in the ring after dark safely.
Natasha is out for the weekend again and giving every horse (especially her pony, Dash) a little loving and some riding time. Thanks, Natasha!
Mom photographed a neat spider when she was out last week. It appears to be a female Banded Garden Spider, Argiope trifasciata. It has a white, yellow and black striped body and is living in the cucumber plants. Despite her size (she's about an inch and a half long and about an inch across - and that doesn't include her legs), she doesn't seem inclined to bite. She's hiding under the leaves of the cucumber plant, perfectly camoflaged by the shade and bright spots caused by the sun shining on the leaves.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
