Catching up - it's the end of February already!

It's been a busy few weeks since my last post.


We had a Valentines party on Sunday, February 15th combined with a contest to determine the winning logo for our new branch of the Pony Club. All of the Valentines party attendees had a chance to cast their vote for one of the logos entered by Sunday afternoon.


We had four submissions to choose from:






All were carefully thought out and drawn, either on the computer or by hand, and every one got at least one vote.



The winning logo was submitted by Jennifer S. Her daughter will be joining the Eastwind Pony Club in March.


Jennifer coloured the pony dark blue grey (in honour of Sneakers, perhaps?) on the printed copy that she submitted for the contest, but we could pick another colour if the members feel strongly about it. The font is called Jokerman - I'll look for it online and if I can find a free version, we can use it for letterhead and thank you notes (for clinicians and volunteers).

Thank you to everyone who participated by either submitting a logo or voting!

Natasha created a great themed costume for Dash with lots of hearts. He looked absolutely adorable in his flashy multicoloured halter and the heart covered breast plate.




Natasha took Miella out for a ride on Dash in the field.



Natasha later helped Alex saddle up Reba to ride and took her out for a stroll, too.



It was too icy to go very fast or very far, but I know Miella and Alex appreciated the opportunity to ride a little bit.

Thanks, Natasha! You're a big help and a good sport!


Farrier

Our farrier (Yvan Roy) came out on Tuesday, February 17 and trimmed some of the horses. Serge held Malachi and Kane (Katherine and Michael's horses) out in the field and both of them were very good. Neither of them like to come in the barn for a trimming, and Yvan is happy to accommodate them.

Cinder and Finnigan had their feet trimmed, too. Both of them were well behaved.




Arrivals and departures

Scrappy left for Petawawa on Saturday, February 21. I hope that Amelia and Scrappy enjoy their new homes!





Two new horses, Gwen and Neala, a 9-12 year old mare and her 6 month old filly, arrived shortly after Scrappy left. They were rescued from a neglectful situation by Laura W. and her mom. They plan to continue to sponsor them and work with them this summer.



Gwen is a bit thin, but has already put on weight since she arrived. Neala had never been handled - she's wearing her first ever halter now! Gwen likes people, and especially enjoys treats. Neala needs some regular handling to teach her how to behave around people. She's very curious, though, so we hope she'll learn quickly.

Neither was sure how to drink water from a bucket - there was no water in the field that they lived in previously - but they figured it out pretty quickly. Both need work on their feet and a full course of innoculations (Jeff, the vet, will be out next week). Gwen and Neala's feet are way too long and Gwen has "skis" because her toes are so long.

Neala is available for adoption for $300.




Announcements


Happy birthday to Jasper! He's a whole year old now - maybe he'll finally stop growing!

Spook (Cool Blue Dreams) turned 2, too! He's really grown in the last year and doesn't look like a baby anymore!




Upcoming events


March brings us St. Patrick's Day and hopefully the start of spring. The vet will be out later this month to start doing shots and Coggins, so please let us know if you want a Coggins or think your horse(s) need their teeth floated or anything else.


The vet checked Beauty and confirmed that she's carrying a healthy foal. She's due around April 12, 2009. He checked Cinder, too, and thinks her foal is due in July.


We're planning an event on Sunday, March 22 to celebrate everything green! Look for more details here soon. Hopefully everyone will be back from their March break vacations by then.

(Note from Susan: Elly's birthday is on March 17, so we can celebrate that, too. :) Sssshh! It's a secret for now.)


Natasha, Mom and I attended the second of six lectures put on by the Ottawa Valley Large Animal Clinic (OVLAC) at Kemptville College last night. Last night's lecture was all about breeding and gave us all a lot of useful information. Next week's lecture is all about parasites.

The roosters have a home!

Happy Feet, Phantom and Harry were adopted today. I met a farmer at the Co-op who breeds fancy chickens and invited him to come and see Happy Feet, Phantom and Harry. He liked them, and took them home.

Each of them will have a group of hens to keep them company - no more fighting!

Roo and Momma chicken have mostly recovered from the feather plucking by Happy Feet, so now that Happy Feet has a new home, they'll be moving back out to the coop soon.

Hey You and Coconut have been moved from the riding ring into their new herds. Hey You is pretty sure that she doesn't belong there, so be careful when you open the gate - it's electrified to keep her from bashing into it. She may try to get out if you're not watchful.

S'Heir and Scrappy are in the riding ring for now. S'Heir grew again and needs some grain to put some weight on. Scrappy is in the ring to prepare her for her trip to Petawawa with Amelia.

Don't forget to create a logo for our new Pony Club branch, Eastwind. Bring your drawing to the Valentine's party on February 15th and we'll all vote on them. Bring a costume for a pony and Mom will take pictures and post them on the blog.

Don't forget to bring your completed application and cheque for your Pony Club and Ontario Equestrian Federation membership, too!

End of January - We're starting up a Pony Club branch here!

Updates:

Dr. Jeff Sleeth of Dundas Veterinary Services confirmed that Cinderella is pregnant and due in July 2009.

We have two new horses (currently in quarantine in the riding ring): Hey You is a Thoroughbred mare with Canadian Sport Horse (CSH) breeding approval - she's here on a breeding lease and will be bred to Classy Bingo Bar (Classy) in June; and Coconut, a 5 year old pony gelding that's been started walk, trot, and canter. Coconut is available for adoption to the right home.

Natasha rode Coconut today and he was very good.

Natasha finished her first week at her new school and is very happy. She really likes the short bus ride to school and back home - she's the last student picked up and the first to be dropped off. I hope she continues to enjoy school and living here - I know we're really happy to have her here!

We're still looking for homes for two roosters, Happy Feet and Phantom (formerly known as Ugly because he was a very odd looking chick). Roo is quite happy living in the house in the old cockatiel cage, but Serge is getting awfully tired of his crowing! Roo is very affectionate and likes to sit on Natasha's shoulder.

Amelia and Scrappy are moving to Petawawa at the end of February. Be sure to give Scrappy a goodbye scratch and hug before they go. Amelia also adopted Whisper, so he'll be leaving at the end of February, too. We'll miss them all!

Serge, Natasha and I have started going to the Embrun Chiropractic Clinic. I find it's making a huge difference in my back and enthusiastically recommend them! Dr. Greg is fantastic!

If you're interested in finding out if a chiropractor can help you, please contact Dr. Greg and tell him that Eleanor recommended him. You'll get a free assessment and explanation of how adjustments can help you.

Mom sees Dr. Rick in Barrhaven at the Village Square Chiropractic and sent us a referral for Christmas. What a wonderful gift!


Farrier:

Yvan Roy, our fantastic farrier, will be here next month to trim hoofs as needed. Please make sure that you bring out an extra $30 per horse to get your horses trimmed.


Vaccinations:
Jeff will be back at the end of February, beginning of March, to do all the horses' annual shots. Dundas Veterinary Clinic will bill each owner individually.


T-Shirts:

If you'd like to support the farm and show you care, you can now order a custom T-shirt with the farm logo and the name(s) of your horse or pony on it for $20. We can get just about any colour (within reason) and will paint the logo and names on it. All the T-shirts and fabric paints are machine washable.


Pony Club:

We are starting up a new branch of the Canadian Pony Club at the farm. We'll be part of the St. Lawrence-Ottawa Valley Region of the Canadian Pony Club.

The proposed name for our branch is Eastwind.

Pony Club is a wonderful way for kid between the ages of 6 and 25 to learn more about horses, have a lot of fun, and meet many other people who love horses, too. You can choose to compete in branch and regional events from Quiz to Tetrathlon to Prince Philip Games (PPGs) to Show Jumping to Rally to a Winter Education weekend.

You do not need to own a horse or a pony to be a member.

Click on the link above or in the sidebar to get more information - I was a member for 12 years and learned a lot, met a lot of interesting people, travelled to Edmonton and to Fergus to compete in PPGs - and had a great time !

We have volunteers for District Commissioner (DC) , treasurer, and secretary already, but can always use more volunteers. Natasha will join for sure, and Sam and Alex want to join, too. If you, or someone you know wants to know more or join, please email me and I'll give you all the information.

All Pony Club members must be Ontario Equestrian Federation (OEF) members as well. The OEF provides insurance for Pony Club events.

The cost to join our branch of the Pony Club will be approximately $100 a year, plus the cost of the OEF membership. We plan to meet on Sunday afternoons (at least to start) at the farm.


Logo Contest:

The first item on our agenda is to create a logo. Since the input of our members (and potential members) is very important, we're holding a contest to see who can design the best one. It starts now and ends on February 15th.

You can create your logo by hand or on the computer.

Everyone will have a chance to vote for their favorite at the Valentine's Party on February 15th.

We'll use the winning logo on T-shirts and on the blog and branch website.


Valentine's Party:

Dreamscape Acres invites you to a Valentine's Party on February 15th from noon to 3 pm or so. Bring a costume for your pony and decorate your helmet in honour of Valentine's Day.

We'll provide hot chocolate and other beverages and plan a Valentine craft.

Depending on the weather, we may hitch up the hay wagon and go for a ride around the track again.


Thank you!

Thank you to all our volunteers, sponsors and donors! You make a huge difference in the lives of our horses, cats, dogs, chickens and cows - and let us rescue even more animals.

Thank you to Grandpa, Granny and Serge for working on the bathroom! It's getting better every day.

Holiday celebration - Sunday, January 11, 2009

Sunday morning dawned bright and beautiful - no snow in the forecast, not too cold to be outside, and best of all, no rain.

The previously postponed holiday gathering began as promised at noon when Katherine and Michael arrived, followed shortly by Alex, Sam and Greg. Laura (our new volunteer) and Natasha had almost finished cleaning the barn, Serge had the hay wagon hitched to the tractor, and I had a fire started in the freshly dug out fire pit.


After a bit of play with kittens and dogs and ponies, we all piled on the hay wagon for a trip around the track. Serge drove the tractor past the barn and the winter paddocks.


Jasper ran alongside the hay wagon in the deep snow, loving every minute. About halfway around the track, we stopped to pick up sticks for the fire (remnants of the last freezing rain storm) and put them on the hay wagon.



Once we'd loaded a bunch of branches, including a large log that Michael found and Serge and I dug up, we headed back the house. Daisy ran alongside the wagon, Jasper ran ahead of the tractor, and Tinkerbelle rode on the hay wagon with Mom and all the kids.













I had everyone pose for a picture at the end of the wagon ride, then after they unloaded the sticks and log, we had hot chocolate, milk, tea, cookies and treats in the house to warm up.

Katherine and Michael had to leave as they had another commitment that afternoon, but the others saddled up the ponies and went for a ride around the track.

Sam and Serge rode Grandma Reba partway around the track, then Serge led Reba the rest of the way.

Natasha rode Dash, Alex rode Sneakers, Laura rode Otis, and Serge led Sam on Grandma Reba. Everyone came back with big smiles!

Alex, Sneakers, and Jasper.

Laura and Otis.

Serge took Reba around the track again after everyone else was back at the barn - she wanted to go faster than was safe with the whole gang.

I know that we enjoyed the company of our boarders, sponsors and volunteers on Sunday - I hope you all had fun, too!

Thank you to all of you for your help in the past year; the horses, ponies, chickens, cows, kittens, and dogs all appreciate your visits!

Thank you!

Belated thank yous to John R. for all his help with the electrical in the barn (and the wonderful lights in the riding ring) in 2008, and to Ray M. for his help early in the summer in the barn and in the garden.

Thank you to Joanne for the shredded paper - and the promise of more! We use it to supplement the shavings in the stalls.

Thank you to Jennifer S. for donating a bridle, reins and a bit to the farm.

Thank you to Andre L. for his help with the shelter in Grandma Reba's field - it was a lot easier to put up with two people!

Thank you to Sam for sponsoring the chickens. They got a bunch of live crickets from the pet store as a holiday treat. The chickens give us an egg or two almost every day now.

Welcome a new volunteer!

Please welcome Laura to the farm. Laura volunteers one day each weekend (work permitting) and helps with barn chores.

Roosters available for adoption

We have four roosters available for adoption as pets. They're not ever going to be big enough to be meat birds. All four are friendly and fairly well handled, but they're starting to peck each other in the close quarters of the coop in winter.

If you know of anyone who has room for a new rooster or who would like one as a pet, please let us know.

School volunteer hours

You can volunteer at Dreamscape Acres for your volunteer hours for high school. We have lots of different chores that can be done, from grooming horses to repairing fencing to building shelters. Call or email to arrange a volunteer position!

New Years Eve

Just a short post to wish all a very happy new year!

Best wishes for a safe, happy, healthy, horsey, and prosperous New Year! We look forward to seeing everyone in 2009.

Eleanor, Serge and Natasha
Daisy and Jasper
Whisper and Stripe
and all of the horses, cows and chickens!

Holiday gathering postponed

The weather is balmy and warm, but after yesterday's freezing rain, followed by more rain, the fields are full of ice and snowmelt (water).

We've decided to postpone the holiday gathering for two weeks to January 11, 2009. Hopefully the weather will be better and we'll have some fresh snow on the ground to make walking or riding about a bit easier.

If you do come out today, bring your rubber boots!

Christmas Eve 2008

December is almost over - and Santa comes tonight!

Thank you to Lisa M. for donating about 25 bales of straw and old hay. We're using it to bed the shelters for the winter.

Thank you to Jennifer (from Full Circles - a Yahoo group for free stuff) for saving all the shredded paper from her office for us - mom picked up ten bags of shredded paper on Monday. Cross-cut shredded paper makes wonderful absorbant bedding for the stalls - and you can bet no one will ever put your VISA bill back together again after it's been in a stall!! It composts really quickly, too.


We've had snowy days, cold days, and apparently we're going to have some warm weather this weekend. Finnigan and Cinder are out of quarantine now and are turned out with Reba's herd.

Mom came over and baked gingerbread and shortbread cookies.


Natasha and I decorated the gingerbread - I did the fancy icing with mom's decorating set.



Stripe and Whisper spend lots of time napping on the dryer and looking adorable. Although they're officially barn cats, they get to come in the house to eat and sleep.

Finnigan and Cinder both need blankets when they're outside. They're outside for longer now than when they came.

Finnigan likes to be brushed and fussed over. He's such a good boy! We're looking for a good home for him. Finnigan fell asleep when Yvan came to trim his feet - he's definitely an old pro.

Cinder was unsure, but behaved wonderfully considering she'd probably never had a farrier touch her feet before.

Both Cinder and Finnigan still come in at night since they don't have good coats.

Thank you to all of you for all your support this year!

2008 Sponsors

Jennifer G. - Delilah

Alex - Grandma Reba

Sam - Kittens and chickens

Natalie - Nikki

Lynn - Otis

There's a small gift for each of you in the house. Please stop in when you come to visit your sponsored horse.

2008 Adoptions

Grace and family - Princess

Susan - Beauty, Fire, Spot

Lisa - Levi

Elisha - Squish

Leisa - Finn

Elmer - Gypsy, Queenie

Natasha - Dash

Jenidy - Julie

2008 Volunteers

Kirsten

Natasha

Susan

Don't forget the boarder, sponsor and volunteer holiday celebration on Sunday, December 28, 2008 starting at noon. Please let us know if you can make it out for a cup of hot chocolate (or coffee, if you prefer) and a cookie or two.

Merry Christmas!