No kidding.
Faithful reader Moose asked a question about the critters that live here on the farm. Probably well intended, the question does unfortunately highlight the level of insanity that I have arived at.
First though, the farm.
While the farm is now used to primarily house our own horses, my goal is to turn it into a higher-end riding, training, boarding and show facility. That is a long distance down the road, but is my major focus in life. In its current entity, it has 4 pastures of 2.5 acres each complete with loafing sheds and automatic waterers. The front pasture is just about 7 acres with a new (ghetto) loafing shed. We have the building site for the new barn all ready to go, and have excavated for a 80 x 200′ indoor riding arena (read: I am a hopeless optimist).
Our equine family somehow keeps growing… we moved to the farm with 2 horses less than 2 years ago. We now have:
Mr. Forbes: 18 year old grey Thoroughbred gelding. Former race horse, former bucker and bolter who was not a good fit for his previous owner. Super fellow now! Competes in Dressage and Hunters and has begun Eventing. Gazillions of awards from this horse, he is now used by students to lean on and compete with.
Duncan: Not quite 3 years old yet, Duncan is a black and white pinto Rhineland Pfalz Saar colt. He is not yet started under saddle, but wil be in the spring. He will be competing in Dressage this year at the beginner levels (Introductory and Training). He won’t be old enough to jump for at least another year, but show promise.
Mirelle: 4 year old chestnut Draft cross (Belgian x Morgan x Quarter Horse). Basically a mutt. Big, sturdy and cute. She was started in her riding career last year and wil be taken to her first shows this summer along with Duncan. Miri is something of a bully with people - she doesn’t like taking direction much yet but is getting better. She is what I consider a project horse - for me to increase my ability and show a little, but the real goal is to get her ready for Kevin to ride in the future so he can show a little and have some fun with us at the local level.
Lerus: Another mutt, this time Standardbred x Paint cross. This gal is also turning 4 this summer and is really tall and gangly. She is a bay (dark brown with black legs, mane and tail) with a primarily white face and some splashes of white on her body. She too is a project horse for me. Previously she was an Amish buggy horse, but is being trained for Dressage competition. While she will not win the world, she is a nice mare. Hopefully I will find her a new home as the spring and summer progress - which was my plan when she came to live with us.
Troubadessa and Amalja: Both are older (16 and 17, respectively) Trakehner mares. Both are very dark bay, nearly black and are big, substantial girls. Both of these horses will be used as our foundation breeding stock.
In The Red: (Or Indy, as we call her) is an 11 year old bay Dutch Warmblood mare. She has been shown in Dressage and Hunters in the past, but will likely be switched over to a breeding career.
Brillar: (Whom we call Blink) belongs to my friend/farrier. He is a 5 year old Andalusian x Arabian gelding, also bay. Blink has been shown In-Hand since he was a tiny baby, and has qualified for Nationals each year. He lives with us as I am working with him to increase his training level. His owner will be continuing his show career in the spring.
Keeping up Appearances: (aka Hyacinth) 6 year old, naughty bay pony mare. Actually, she is a darling little girl that I sometimes use to teach lessons. Mostly though, she is a pasture ornament. I may consider finding her a new home sine my niece and nephew show little interest in riding, and the niece is too big for Hya now anyway. Oh, and Hya does not really appreciate being asked to be a Dressage pony, she prefers trail riding.
Tie Me Kangaroo Down: (aka Brumby) is a 12 year old Appaloosa mare. I have no idea why I have this horse. I knew her as a baby and years later somone offered to give her to me. She doesn’t do much except hang out with Hyacinth and look cute. She isn’t trained for riding and I find it hard to devote myself to the process for an older horse with limited potential in my chosen riding disciplines. If I were more realistic, I would acknowledge that I should find her a new home.
Here Be Dragons: (aka Dudley) Is a 14 year old grey Welsh pony gelding. He belonged to a Hunter barn in the Madison area where he flunked out of their show program as he was too lazy to put in a good jumping effort. He is proving to be a nice lesson pony and did very well at the Dressage shows that he attended last year being ridden by a 9 year old student of mine. He is the cutest pony in the land.
Ashton: Is my 11 year old chestnut Oldenburg gelding. My farrier/friend has been taking lessons on him for almost two years now - I have decided that he and I are just not meant to be partnered together. Since we have a personality conflict, we have little hope of moving up the levels in Dressage, so I am actively working to sell him to someone who will appreciate the level of training and competency that he has. In the meantime, my friend will continue to show him and develop her own skills. If his value wasn’t greater than that of my car, I would keep him around for her to enjoy, but in building a barn the funds will come in handy.
Throughout the summer and fall there were numerous client horses living here in addition to our own. Most were here either for additional training or to be shown for their owners. At the height of the season we had 21 horses in residence. With the onset of winter, and our lack of facilities, we sent most home. Once spring arrives there is a waiting list of horses that will make their way to our barn. Interestingly, almost none are from the area.