Happy New Year!

This will be my last post of 2009.  What a year...We had a horse have colic surgery, learned more about parasite control, the mini mule has a bone spur & had a visit with a surgeon (which is getting better without surgery as the Dr. had hoped), we took in 4 horses in need, this is the wetest winter I've known (my truck has been stuck in the mud 3 times, all this winter, and I've owned it for 6 years), business has been good for both companies, had to put another engine in the truck, my son and the quarter horse both had a growth spurt recently and are eating everything in site, & I may have found the location for our farm (which will happen in 2010!).  We start closing the books for 2009 tomorrow and look forward to a prosperous New Year!

Willie

Willie is a standard paint donkey we acquired recently.  A young one as we have found out.  He is so shy!! When he first came to us he didn't know what a bucket was, he was actually scared of a bucket and would walk way around one.  I think he drank water out of puddles the first couple of weeks until the rain stopped (lucky for him it was raining) and the puddles dried up.  Then he became curious about that big red bucket.  He HEEHAWSSS at breakfast and dinner.  Such a welcoming sound. Willie fit in the herd rather well and his best buddy is our miniature Donkey, Tibideaux. Tibby is the daddy to our miniature mule and has adopted Willie as his stepson.  Willie is so gentle that kindness just flows from him.  It's a shame no one ever took the time to get to know him. His shyness definitely stems from his past handling or lack of.   It has been an honor for us to get to know Willie!   We plan to train him for a cart Donkey.  Although, Willie is very flexible.  So flexible in fact he can bend around and almost touch his nose to his tail without moving his feet. When he doesn't want to move getting him to go can be a challenge. He has acquired the nickname "Gumby " Willie has a heart, upside down mickey mouse ears, and a paw print on his side, note the photo below. Looking at Willie's coat pattern is like playing I Spy.

Kiwi's Christmas wishes

Kiwi and Destiny are really getiing used to us and have come along way since the first day they arrivedalmost 4 months ago.  Kiwi has fit in nicely with the herd.  His best buddies are Frodo and Echo, the mini mule.  They are all about the same size and age.  Kiwi's Chriatmas wish is for Destiny to be friendly too.  She is very food aggressive since she was not getting her fair share before.  She will kick and be defensive at feeding time which in her opinion is all the time.   We have been working with her on this and she has made great progress.  I've bee watching videos on training horses with this dominate (aggressive) behavior and am learning some very good techniques for teaching her to be different and tolerant of others. Patients and time will make a difference too. Destiny is frail and petite but her personality shows us she is strong amidst it all. 

   Every little girl's dream... a pony for Christmas....           

 My youngest daughter has been grooming and walking Kiwi. She asked me one day recently "could I have Kiwi for Christmas" to love and take care of all on my own?  How could I say no.  So her special gift was complimented with a grooming set of her very own, too.  What a difference in Kiwi.  He has become much more social and can easily be caught now.  He totally enjoys the attention. I'm so glad he has come to this point in our relationship.  They will soon be cutting the trails.  Kiwi  is somewhat blind in one eye but at one time was a driving mini so he will be trained as a team hitch with my mini Frodo. They are the same size and age.  Frodo has already been driving a year but he's still green as he doesn't have the experience in a variety of situations yet.

 Frodo is the jokester of the bunch.  We keep our hay in a utility trailer and when we open the door he is the first to jump in (not us).  He is always on the lookout for Alfalfa.  I like to indulge in Chocolate and Frodo likes to indulge in Alfalfa! He is learning to smile and bow.  All for treats of course. His next trick will be the spanish walk.  He bends and spins better than a reining horse and can run the barrels in 16 seconds and my daughter Jordan is improving . (You must have a bucket of feed in hand and run. Oh, the barrels need to be closer together too.)

David's Dream

I have a file folder marked David's Dream.  It is tucked away in a special section in the file cabinet.  David is a friend that is handicapped and he is a miniature horse owner.  He would like to drive his mini(s).  That's the Dream! When I first met David this was his goal and not only does he have physical limitations but he also lives far out in the country.  I had always hoped to make it to his place on a regular basis and help train his horse, Ranger.  Although, my focus was turned to a cart as this would definitely be needed.  Time never slows down and here I am years later and David's Dream seemed no closer.  David even got another mini for Christmas last year.  This year I didn't  keep in touch with David like I want to, yet, he was always on the back of my mind.  Then a month ago his grandmother called and as I was talking to her suddenly I realized I knew where the perfect cart to modify was and it was for sale.  Funny how things can come together, just like clockwork!  (David likes Clocks, too!)

His family was even able to buy the cart at a lower price because the people selling it wanted to help also.  The cart has been getting it's makeover and will be ready for "fittings" soon.  I hope to help train his mini(s) this coming spring so David's Dream can be complete.  I have been so inspired by David that I may start helping others with their Equine Dreams as well. My daughter calls it Equine Wishes.

Gone Buggy!

We went on an adventure tonight for 3 hours to get an antique buggy.  I have decided to focus on our collection of carriages and carts this coming year (New's years resolution).  We have one cart that we are customizing for a handicapped friend so he can drive his minis.  Then we have another mini cart ready to be restored. One of the carts I currently use needs new seats.  Now we have another restoration project.  This one is really cool because it is over 100 years old and all original.  On the way home from picking up the carriage the seat blew off and got hung on the back gate of the utility trailer.....So Gald!  It has stayed together for over 100 years and tonight it was Alomst separated. We didn't think to check the seat it looked attached and the carriage was heavy.  We took off the wheels and put them in the back of the truck.  The seat was actually held on by a really old piece of bailing wire.  Lesson learned...always check it out good before hauling.  The antique carriage is HOME now and will be restored and used.   Buggy madness has begun....

Snow Cold

Finally some snow in December.  The horses were unimpressed.  The feed store where we normally get hay had gotten a bad batch, so we had to buy hay elsewhere and the herd disliked the quality.  So snow and poor quality hay made for a dull weekend.  Monday the feed store got a new batch of hay and the herd was once again happy.  Not enough snow sticked in our neck of the woods to make a snowball.  It was still pretty falling from the sky.  It would have been great to have a carriage ride with the sleigh bells on but, I just couldn't stay outside for long and I wouldn't be able to feel my toes.  We're not acclimated to the colder weather I guess.  So, staying inside with a cup of hot cocoa was a better choice that day.  The equine herd was content in the barns with their coats on and under heat lamps munching on the hay even as untasty as it was.  By sunday the snow seemed a distant memory and Monday came work as usual....