Welcome Alex

Nothing is more fun than welcoming a new horse to the farm. We recently got to do just that with the arrival of Alex, also known as "Time Marches On." Alex and his owners waited patiently for a long time for a spot to open up on the farm. Sadly we had to say goodbye to one of our residents, Trillion, in December. After Jason and I had time to cope with the loss of Trillion it was time to open up our hearts and the farm to a new resident. Alex is the lucky horse who is now filling the void left behind by Trillion.

Alex looking out his window a few hours after arrival

Alex is an 18 year old bay Quarter Horse gelding, actually his owner described him as "most likely a Quarter Horse mix." Whatever his exact breeding is it produced a cute horse with a lovely temperament! I knew I would like him from the moment he arrived as the shipper told us he had been perfect from the moment he was loaded on the trailer. We had a quiet walk to the barn from the trailer, which mostly consisted of me trying to keep Alex's head up and him walking, instead of head down, stopped and trying to graze.

Grazing in a paddock

Alex made his journey to our farm from the wonderful Kingsmeade Farm in Florida, and as such he is "related" to our residents Elfin and Levendi. Every horse and every person I have ever met from Kingsmeade Farm has been wonderful to work with, and I always hear rave reviews about the care and kind training the horses receive there. Kingsmeade appears to be one of those hard to find barns where the horses and riders are competitive at the biggest shows without compromising the health and happiness of the horses, all while providing an environment of support and camaraderie for the people. I know Alex will be missed at Kingsmeade, but we are excited to have him with us.

Alex grooming with Asterik with Faune grazing nearby (and Sebastian watching)

Alex showed in the hunters and had the coveted job of being the first horse for his family. I say it is a coveted job because often when a horse does this particular job very well, and if they end up with the right family, they earn themselves a home for life. Alex was a star, initially as the first horse for their daughter, and later Mom took over the reins on Alex. I am told that he took great care of both of them, and as a result he became one of the lucky horses who had a forever home with a wonderful family.

Winston, Alex and Asterik

So far Alex has taken quite well to retirement. He really seems to crave the companionship of other horses. As he had his initial opportunities to do "meet and greets" with his future roomies he would groom each one of them energetically. During his first day in the pasture with his new friends, Asterik as always was the official greeting committee. He showed Alex the ropes of retirement: play hard, graze hard, sleep hard. Asterik gets so excited on the rare occasion that he meets a new pasture mate that he tends to go overboard on the welcomes, and it was no exception with Alex. Alex groomed and played with Asterik with enthusiasm for quite awhile, but Asterik eventually wore him out. Alex has definitely had an enthusiastic welcome to the farm which should make him feel part of the family!

Ogie, Alex and Asterik