Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!

This week brought a real mix of weather. Sunday was glorious and sunny, Monday was cooler, and on Tuesday, it snowed.



And snowed.


And snowed.



And the wind blew. Most of the horses had either a winter blanket or a rainsheet on to keep them dry and warm in the heavy, wet, blowing snow.



The heavy wet snow bent a lot of trees down. It was almost as though we were headed for another ice storm (January 1998 - Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec were devastated by days of freezing rain).




Then, on Thursday, the sun came out.


Now, on Friday, it's 15C (about 55F), the sun is shining, and most of the snow is gone. The weekend is supposed to be a bit cooler, but the high for Monday is warmer than today.


We have a new stallion arriving early next week. Classy Bingo Bar, a registered APHA Tobiano. He'll be standing at stud next spring (2009) at an introductory rate of $200 (plus mare care).


Call or email to book your spot now! I'll post more photos when he arrives so you can see how handsome he is from all sides.


Levi has been adopted!


A 14-year old girl down the road from the farm adopted Levi last night. He'll be here at the farm for two more weeks, then moving down the road. She hopes to compete locally with Levi next spring and summer, and he'll be a companion for her sister's horse.

Grandma Reba has a sponsor! Alexandria decided that she will sponsor Reba since Levi was adopted. Thank you, Alexandria!


We're still looking for a sponsor for Soul. She's in Our Soul is a ex-racehorse that won quite a bit of money at the track and had a couple of winning foals, but was discarded when her owners decided that she wasn't useful anymore. She ended up at a sale barn where she starved because she wasn't dominent enough to push her way to the hay bale. She got the leavings, and ate a lot of binder twine (the vet had to remove it from her bowel), further hindering her ability to absorb nutrients.

When she came in March 2008, the vet thought she wouldn't last another week as she was so emaciated. You could see every bone in her body - a walking skeleton. A month later, the vet didn't recognize her as she looked so much better.


She has put on about 300 lbs and she's still gaining weight slowly, and the vet says she's healthy now. She'll never race again, and will always be lame as the tendons on her front legs are badly bowed and have been fired at least once.


Soul is a sweetheart to handle and loves to be groomed. She'll stand in the aisle for hours if you have a brush in your hand. If you'd like to sponsor Soul, please send us an email.


Remember: Our spooktacular Halloween Fun Day will be on Sunday, Nov. 2nd, starting at noon! Bring your pony costume stuff and your own costume. There will be prizes and loot bags!!


Natasha and I took Sneakers and Spot out trick-or-treating in Casselman. Natasha was a cowgirl, Sneakers was a cow, and Spot was a unicorn. Spot and Sneakers were a big hit - and both were really well behaved. I'll post pictures later.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Monday posts - wrapping up the weekend

On Saturday, Mom went to the Oxford Downs Pony Club Used Tack Sale at Rooney's Feed and Seed in South Gower. She picked up a nice 64" winter blanket that will do for S'Heir or perhaps Spook this winter, some pink gaming reins and a matching curb chain, a few bits, and a battered (but cheap and still usable) leather halter.

The weather was dark, dreary and wet. Natasha was disappointed - she wanted to ride. Chores seemed to take a long time, as did putting on rain sheets.

As it was Natasha's birthday, she got to pick what to have for dinner. She chose Mom's spaghetti and garlic bread - perfect food for a cold, damp day.

Dessert was birthday cake: a white, green and purple cake!










As you can see in the photos, Natasha was pleased. There was a purple swirl on the inside. Green and white chocolate ponies decorated the edge and a few more decorated the top. Green and purple are Natasha's favorite colours.

Natasha says THANK YOU!!! for all the lovely presents. She really appreciates your thoughtfulness!

On Sunday, we went to look at a possible house for Mom near Embrun. Lori came to see it, too, arriving just as we finished up looking at the barn. We headed home for lunch and Lori came back after her tour to visit for a bit.

Despite the forecast, Sunday turned out to be sunny and warm (14C - about 60F). We'd already postponed the Halloween Fun Day based on the forecast (it was supposed to be the same dreary weather as Saturday), so we introduced Mom to Squish.

Alexandria and the rest of the Clarke family came out to visit Levi and help out with the chores. Thank you!
Otis was busy stuffing himself with hay - he's settled right in and seems pretty happy here. There's lots of food, so life is good.
Jasper is seven months old now. He's still growing - just look how big his feet are! At least his tail doesn't drag on the ground anymore.

The chicks are starting to look like chickens now. Momma hen still rounds them all up at the slightest threat (Tink got too close - she was curious). It's amazing how different the chicks are - it's quite obvious that they're not all from the same parents.

The chickens like their new coop. You can see the ramp to the door at the edge of the last picture. They'll be snug and warm this winter - the coop is fully insulated. Jasper likes to help round up the chickens at night when it's time for them to go inside.



Natasha is glad she wears her helmet every time she rides. Dash spooked when something big and brown moved in the bush (the resident moose, perhaps?) when she was on her trail ride. Natasha came off - and Dash's hoof clipped her helmet. She's okay - a bit bruised from the fall - and her helmet did its job and protected her head. She needs a new helmet (always replace your helmet after a fall - helmets can be bought, but no one sells replacement heads), but that's a small price to pay to be safe. Dash is okay, too.

This afternoon, Natasha and I went down to Saddle Ridge Stable to see Delilah. She's progressing well and Reuben and Karina really like her. On our way back, we saw one of Star's (Call Me Starmaker) babies - a pretty little filly. Unfortunately, the camera batteries died, so I can't post a photo. She sure looks like her daddy - what a cutie! I can't wait to see Beauty's foal in the spring.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Lousy weather

It's raining, and the forecast for tomorrow doesn't look much better.

Since it will be more fun if we're not all soaked or stuck in the aisle of the barn, the Halloween Fun Day is postponed until next weekend. (Nov. 2) It's too back we can't do it this weekend, but it does mean that Halloween candy will be on sale!


Halloween Fun Day POSTPONED - Rain Date: Nov. 2nd - 12 noon until whenever.


Natasha had a great birthday supper -spaghetti and garlic bread - and thought her cake was fabulous. She seemed pretty pleased with her gifts, too; a purple saddle pad and purple and lime green photo album, and another saddle pad (green) with matching polos from Serge and me. If you guessed that lime green and purple are Natasha's favorite colours, you'd be right!

Photos to come.

Friday, October 24, 2008

It's Friday!

Once chores are done today, Natasha and I will be heading off to North Gower to pick up Squish (aka Perfekt Song), a 20-year old Selle Francais mare. We'll settle her in here, then head off to Jen L.'s place to show off Mackenzie for a potential buyer.

Tonight is the Think Pink for Deb fundraiser at the Lucky 7 in Embrun. There will be a draw for 2 VIP seats for a Senators' game - come on out and buy a ticket or two!! All the money raised goes to help Deb with her cancer treatment. Click on the pink link to get details.

First thing tomorrow, we're off to the Oxford Downs Used Tack Sale in Rooney's in South Gower. I was a member of Oxford Downs for a long time - mom was the District Commissioner and the secretary at various times - so I think it's important to support the sale and it's great to see the new Pony Clubbers. They should have their new calendars on sale, too, so if you have a horse-crazy child in your house, this could be a perfect stocking stuffer!

Saturday evening, we'll celebrate Natasha's birthday with spaghetti and garlic bread and birthday cake. Yummy! I'm pretty sure there will be presents, too. You can leave a comment here to wish Natasha happy birthday if you don't get to say it in person - I'll make sure they get passed along to her.

Delilah is doing well at Saddle Ridge Stables. Karina updated her blog with a paragraph about Delilah's progress. We're very happy that she's progressing. If you're looking for a well-started horse, check out the Saddle Ridge blog - Karina and Reuben have a couple for sale that have at least 30 days of professional training.

On Sunday, weather permitting, we'll have our Halloween Fun Day. We're having a costume class for kids with the ponies and horses - Mom will be the judge - with ribbons for first and second prize as well as games. There will be loot bags for everyone and a barbeque and bonfire. We'll post pictures of the costumes here. I'm looking forward to it, that's for sure.

Monday, October 20, 2008

It's hard to believe

But tomorrow's forecast includes the possibility of snow flurries! I'm not ready - are you?

The ponies have good winter coats of fur - and warm blankets in the tack room just in case.

Gillgan appears to enjoy the fall weather in this photo. He's found some grass and some sunshine and a beautiful spot to relax by himself in the boys' paddock.


We had a busy weekend.


On Saturday, we went to Kemptville College to watch the Canadian Sport Horse (CSH) Mare Inspection. Natasha, Mom and I met up there and watched four mares go through the inspection process. The inspectors described how each mare met the criteria to become an approved brood mare. That was very informative. We hope to bring Delilah to an inspection next spring. We already know she makes great babies!


After that, we had lunch at Broadway in Kemptville, then went down to visit Delilah at Saddle Ridge Stables where Reuben and Karina are working with her to get her to be more comfortable with humans. Reuben let us watch him work with Delilah - she joined up with him really well and let him pat her all over and even run his hands down her legs. She's still a bit anxious about his hands on her legs, but we could see the improvement.


Then it was home to do chores.


On Sunday, we had a lot of wonderful visitors. Jen L. asked us to post Roxy on Equistation and several people called or emailed about buying her within minutes of posting her photo in the ad.


Lynn V. came to see Roxy and bought her!!


Congratulations on your beautiful new horse, Lynn!


Welcome to the barn as a boarder, too!


Yes, Roxy will be staying here as a boarder, and we're thrilled. Natasha looks forward to showing Roxy next spring and summer, too.


Lynn V. has also decided to sponsor Otis. Thank you, Lynn, for your generosity!


Alexandria Clarke came to visit the farm with her parents and decided that she wants to sponsor Levi. Thank you very much to the Clarke family, and especially to Alexandria. We look forward to your visits.



Two more of the chicks have names: Fluffy and Rosy. That means that six out of our eleven chickens now have names. If you'd like to name a chick, we'll tell you which ones are which and you can name one of the last five. So far, we have Fluffy, Rosy, Chip, Harry, Nemo, Red, and Mama. They live in the coop by the barn - they'll be part of our fly control program next spring and summer. We hope that they'll lay eggs for us over the winter, too.


Otis is a bit of a ham. Natasha took this picture as he appeared to laugh as Mom tickled him on his neck. Standing still is one of his best tricks, so it's easy to get photos of him. (Sorry, Natasha, it's hard to tell who took which picture when we all use Mom's camera.)


Despite his short stature, he's happy to have one or two children or an adult on his back for as long as they want to be here. He's got really good ground manners, so he's a pleasure to lead, too.

Fire is growing up. She's a year and a half old now.


Mom listed Dreams Firecracker (aka Fire) for adoption for $500 on Used Ottawa. I know she'd rather not sell her, but I think she'd make a wonderful child's hunter pony. She's about 13 hh now and should finish about 14 hh - not too tall for a child. Beauty, Fire's mom, is due to foal again in April. Mom doesn't really need five ponies - with Beauty's new foal, she would have six. Someone has to go.


We'll make sure Fire gets a good home and we'll ask them to keep us up to date on her progress and send pictures.

Bart, the beautiful black barn cat who thinks he should be a house cat, brought me a salamander the other day. It's a Blue Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma laterale). Blue spotted salamanders have a range that covers most of North America. Mom found a lot of references to variants of blue spotted salamanders all over Eastern Canada and down into the United States.


The salamander had an injury to his tail, so I put him in the aquarium with some rocks and some water to let him heal. He's all better now, so I released him in the woods so that he has time to burrow or find a den for the winter. You can see the notch in his tail in the photo that I took. The picture that Mom took through the side of the aquarium shows his blue spots.


It's a plastic aquarium designed to hold a Beta fish, so it was tough to get a clear picture. We didn't want to stress him by picking him up repeatedly, though, so Mom did the best she could.
Congratulations to Amelia on her engagement! We wish you all the best and hope your beau loves Scrappy as much as you do.
Serge finished the run-in shed in the cow field. I think he did a marvellous job - take a look and be sure to tell him how great it looks. Spook, Aggie, Belinda and Stew will enjoy it this winter. We hope to build some new run-in sheds in the other fields soon, too. If anyone has a few money tree seeds to spare, we have lots of room to plant them and good fertilizer, too!
Reminder: The Halloween Fun Day is this Sunday. Be sure to bring costume stuff for your horse or pony - if you don't have one of your own, you can borrow one of ours.
This weekend coming will be a busy one, too. We plan to attend a Breast Cancer Benefit for a friend of Mom's on Friday at the Lucky 7 in Embrun. Saturday is Natasha's birthday (Happy Birthday, Natasha!!) and the Oxford Downs Pony Club Used Tack Sale at Rooneys in South Gower, and of course, Sunday is the Fun Day.

Monday, October 13, 2008

I only bought one...

Saturday was the auction at Galetta. Natasha and I took the trailer and spent the afternoon and early evening there. Although there were many wonderful and pitiful horses for sale - some at very low prices - the highest sale was about $1500 - I only bought one.

He's a chunky gelding of unknown breeding. Natasha and I decided to call him Otis or Odie. He's about 6 years old, calm, sturdy and quiet. He doesn't have much training yet, but he's willing to learn.

Mom came out to see him on Sunday. I bought him for her to ride - she doesn't like heights or narrow horses, so he's perfect for her. At about 13 2 hh, he's not tall, but he's built like a big comfy couch.

He's got some wear marks and scabs in his fur that suggest that he might have worn a collar and harness as a driving horse, but other marks on his neck suggest that he might have just been leaning over a fence and rubbing, too.

We saddled him up with Mom's big western saddle and Natasha got on him first. She rode him bareback in the pen at the auction, so she was pretty confident that he'd be fine. Just to be sure, we put the saddle on first, then patted it all over to see if we could provoke a reaction.

He stood calmly by the mounting block and waited for Natasha to get on.

Natasha rode him around the ring in both directions. Walk and whoa are his favorites. That's perfect for Mom. With a little help from verbal commands and a tap of the whip, Natasha got him to do walk, trot (very bumpy) and canter in both directions. Whoa was easy - if you stop pushing him, he stops.



After Natasha got off, Mom got on.

She did walk and whoa in both directions, and then she and Natasha (on Dash, bareback) went out around the track. They did one full circuit around the half mile track.

Mom hasn't ridden in about 4-5 years, so this was a big step forward for her. I think Otis/Odie will be a perfect mount for Mom - he's the right height and width for her to feel comfortable - and he's not inclined to go fast.

Odie was a bit hot and sweaty after his workout this morning, so we hosed him off and Mom scraped the excess water out of his thick winter coat. He's well dressed for whatever winter throws at us this year - his winter coat is already several inches long.

He needs his feet done and until he gets his okay from the vet, he'll be in quarantine. Right now, he's turned out in the riding ring beside the cows. He knows what electric fence is all about, so he's safe there.

We moved the horses around to prepare them for the winter paddocks. We put almost all the mares together and did the same with the geldings. As you can see, Maggie and Beauty had a great time racing around in the new paddock!

They're in with Roxy and Nikki now, along with S'Heir and Soul. S'Heir thought the chase me game was wonderful, as an Arabian, she's always up for a run around the field.

Autumn decided to look adorable and check out the salt block. She loves to rub her gums on it - I'm sure the hardness helps with her baby teeth. Hard to believe, but she's only 3 weeks old now. She's already eating hay beside mom at the big round bale.

It's time to go put Delilah on the trailer to go to Saddle Ridge Stable for the next month for trailering. Serge is building shelters in the fields today, so if you want to give him a hand, come on out.

Reminder: Today is the last day to let me know about the Halloween Fun Day! I've heard from some of our boarders and regular visitors, but not all. Give us a call, send an email or leave a message when you're out - it should be fun for all ages.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

October updates - wishing for warm weather

First, I'd like to thank the treat fairy who stopped by with carrots for the horses on Sunday - and cleaned the stall that Natasha used for Dash! What a wonderful surprise when we went down to the barn after staying most of the day at the Metcalfe Fair.

Don't forget to RSVP for the Fun Day coming up on October 26th. We'd like to hear from everyone by Sunday, October 12 so we can plan activities for the right age groups.


Cool weather means that Autumn and Dreamer spend more time inside - at least until we get a blanket that fits Autumn.

The person who part leases Gilligan came by this week, bringing her dog, Sky. For a moment or two, I thought Mom must be visiting. He is almost identical to Tinkerbelle! He is a bit smaller and has a touch of brown that Tink doesn't have, but he is just as cute. Jasper enjoyed his visit immensely. Where Tink is a bit afraid, Sky is happy to run and leap and play with Jasper.

The pictures of Autumn below are ones Mom took (and cropped) on Sept. 28 - hard to believe, but she's only 6 days old in these ones.





Whee!






Keep up, Mom!











What's that??




Yippee! I can leap into the air!






Run, Mom! It's fun!




Let's run again!





Oops! Mud is slippery when I'm going too fast!








This funny green stuff is a long way down and tickles my nose!
Someone asked me to post a new picture of Sneakers (aka Gone with the Wind) on the blog - here's one of him at SuperEx in August. Mom will try to get some new photos of all the horses on the weekend to update their pictures now that they're growing their winter fur and, in some cases, changing colour.
This one was taken the last morning of SuperEx in August before it opened to the public at noon. We rode both our horses (Reba and Sneakers for the first couple of days, then Nikki and Sneakers for the remainder) every morning to give them a chance to stretch their legs.
The stalls are large enough for the horses to move around, but all of our horses are used to daily turnout in large paddocks, so a stretch is welcome. Sneakers wears a hackamore (bitless bridle.


Elaine Kenney, author of Guide to Riding in Ottawa and Surrounding Area, has a new project on the go. She's compiling a database of horse related links and advertising on Ottawa Kiosk. If you know of a local, provincial or national horse organization that isn't listed, send Elaine an email with their contact information so they can be added to the list. Contact Elaine, too, if you'd like to list your horse-related business (for a fee).

Delilah will be at Saddle Ridge Stable in Mountain for training for a month starting on Thanksgiving Monday. Reuben and Karina will work with her to try to overcome some of her fears and insecurity around humans. We don't expect them to make her into a safe and sane riding horse in one month, though.

Mom and I visited Saddle Ridge Stable to meet Reuben and Karina and to watch them work with their horses. We like their style. Both of them are calm and confident around horses and don't use any force in their training methods.