Happy Birthday, Miracle Update

One of our residents had a birthday yesterday. MyLight celebrated her 20th birthday on Monday! The birthday girl had lovely weather for her celebrations, about 65 and partly sunny. She enjoyed some extra treats, including the always popular Mrs. Pastures cookies. She was hoping she could have 20, one for each year, but we said no!

Happy Birthday MyLight!

For those of you who have continued to ask about Miracle's progress we are happy to report that she is doing well! Lori at Sunkissed Acres said that every now and then Miracle needs a little bit of help getting up, but most of the time she gets up and down on her own. Apparently when she is up she is remembering that being a baby horse is supposed to be fun! She runs, bucks, leaps and spins until she wears herself out and has to go down for awhile. Then she gets up and goes right back to playing. I've seen a short video clip of her trotting and she was a surprisingly cute mover. Her gruesome chest wound continues to heal nicely and she has a wonderful appetite.


The best news about Miracle is we have been APPROVED as her new home!! When she is ready to make the move Miracle will be making her home with us. We are very excited and cannot wait to meet the little princess sometime in the not too distant future! In my excitement I've already ordered her a new leather halter from Quillin's, complete with "MIRACLE" nameplate. I look forward to the day when I get to put it on her cute little head.

Miracle napping in a comfy stall at Sunkissed Acres

What Miracle looked like just 2.5 weeks ago; hours away from death due to extreme starvation and abuse and unable to stand
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Dutch and Wiz enjoying an afternoon siesta B-Rad running through the pasture
Darby was running along behind B-Rad
Cinnamon, Sky, Sparky and Norman
Chance
Apollo, Ivan and Hemi
Elfin
Grand
Trigger, Homer, Leo and Apollo
Hoffy and Tony
Baby

Happy Birthday MyLight

We ended up celebrating a week and a half late but it is never too late for a party! MyLight turned 19 on February 21st. MyLight is a thoroughbred mare who started her career on the race track and finished her career as a dressage horse. To read more about MyLight click here.

MyLight checking out her birthday cake

It was a windy and overcast day on Wednesday, the day of our birthday celebration. However nothing brightens my day like a piece of cake, I will admit I love cake. Carrot cake is not my favorite but I am a HUGE fan of the cream cheese icing (I love it so much I don't care if it goes straight to my thighs)! MyLight was not in love with her piece of cake and I think she spit out more than she actually ate. Buffy and Lily were the same way. Harmony and Missy refused to eat any at all. Cuffie on the other hand would have eaten the whole cake if we had let him. That was a surprise since he wouldn't touch his carrot cake when we celebrated his birthday last year!

Cuffie did not patiently wait his turn; here he is trying to sneak in and grab the birthday girl's cake

Cuffie was quite happy to celebrate MyLight's birthday; he was all over the carrot cake

Buffy having some cake

Unlike Wednesday, today was a very nice day, bright sunshine and pleasant temperatures. That was nice since we spent the day with the farrier. With only a few exceptions we are a blanket and sheet free zone on the farm again as of today. The horses love this, it makes it so much easier to grind the dirt into their long winter hair. Every day I see more shedding horses and I am very much looking forward to having a farm full of summer coats in a few weeks. It is so much easier to groom them when they are really dirty when they don't have a long, fuzzy coat.

Jason and I spent a few hours at our new farm over the weekend. We're trying to work out our plans for fencing. At this point we still agree on only one thing: where the perimeter fence will go. Yes, I do realize there isn't exactly a lot of decision making to be done on the location of the perimeter fence! Actually we're in agreement on two things, the location of the perimeter fence and that it will be a wood fence. I was lobbying for no climb horse mesh with a board on top but I do agree with Jason that as far as aesthetics a wood fence on the perimeter is a lot prettier.

Another topic that tends to disintegrate quickly is when we discuss the layout of the barn. Jason thinks the barn should be all stalls and nothing else. I look at him in disbelief as I can't fathom how in the world he can possibly think that is a good thing. He thinks there should be a separate small building for feed, tack, supplies, etc. I haven't yet heard where the wash stall is supposed to be, maybe in one of the run-in sheds in the pasture? These discussions are entertaining even if they are not always productive. I look forward to the day when all of this is already built and done . . . I wonder what the odds are of that happening by next week??!

The moon looked pretty behind purple clouds

Faune and Sebastian

MyLight enjoying a good roll

Like Elfin she rolls on one side, sits up like a dog and "walks" to her other side and then rolls again

Buffy enjoyed a nap in the sun; MyLight and Missy graze in the background

Dustin

Chance

Thomas and Homer; I had the pleasure of grooming Homer and trying to find the horse underneath the dried mud. It was one of those grooming sessions where your teeth are full of grit and the barn aisle was covered in a layer of dirt with the exception of where his hooves had been. He rolled again as soon as I put him back out.

Levendi, Apollo and Ivan

Baby and Trigger with Leo in the background

Trigger

Buffy and Harmony

Clay

Missy and Cuffie

Snappy

Buster and Beulah

B-Rad

Winston and Faune

Traveller, Norman, Lexi and Bonnie; it must be hard to lead such a stressful life

Lily

Some of the Big Boys hanging out

Happy Birthday Bear and the Big Boys Play

We had more gorgeous weather this weekend, with our streak of 70's and sunshine continuing. We are getting really spoiled with the weather the last few weeks. It was a great weekend for being outside and everyone on the farm, people and animals, were smiling.

Today (Sunday) was Bear's 10th birthday. He certainly doesn't act any differently than he did when he was two! Bear celebrated his birthday in style. He had some pieces of ham and steak for his birthday dinner and of course followed that up with a piece of cake. I must add it was a tiny piece of cake as Jason was very opposed to him having any at all. What a party pooper.

Bear didn't need to make a wish because he gets everything he wants anyway! Well, he was trying to eat the cake while Jason held him back so maybe he doesn't get everything he wants.

Bear eating his token piece of cake while Gracie the cat looks on. Bear takes after me and he looooves cake! Gracie thought she wanted cake as well so we gave her some, but she didn't eat it.

The Big Boys are often a source of entertainment and today was no exception. Leo and Thomas were having a grand time playing with each other and running around. I see all of the horses running and playing from time to time, but none of the others have extended run and play sessions like the Big Boys have sometimes. I happened to have my camera with me and captured some of it on video. Unfortunately the sun was close to setting so the picture quality is a bit grainy due to the lack of light. I think you can get the gist of how much fun they were having though! Overall it was a very pleasant weekend, and hopefully this week will bring more of the same.

Leo and Thomas are our playful duo. At about 32 seconds they trot across the pasture together. I would NOT want to be the judge of that hack class! At 2:50 they gallop around the field again, and at 3:15 Levendi joins them while they run. At the very end we also see Homer, Chance and Elfin.



Mr. O'Reilly and Chili grazing together. O'Reilly is an Irish bred gelding who showed in the jumpers. Chili is a Quarter Horse gelding who worked cattle and was also an excellent trail horse in the Colorado mountains.

Snappy; Snappy is a Polish bred gelding who competed through the four star level in eventing with the famous rider Mark Todd of New Zealand. Snappy was then sold to a rider in the U.S. and crashed at a cross country jump (rider error). After having tendon surgery on both front legs after the crash Snappy began a new career in the hunters. He won a lot, including being champion of the World Champion Hunter Rider Children's Hunter final at the Capitol Challenge Horse Show.

Lightening; Lightening is an Arabian and is a retired trail riding partner.

Cuff Links grazing and acting as the lookout while Harmony naps. Cuffie is a Welsh pony and is a retired pony hunter. Harmony is a Thoroughbred and retired polo pony.

Harmony was sleeping hard and looked like she was smiling, I could see all of her teeth.


I disturbed her nap and she was giving me a really groggy look here; she was not happy with my intrusion!

MyLight; MyLight is a Thoroughbred mare and is retired from dressage.

Missy; Missy is a Quarter Horse pony and worked at a dude ranch for most of her life. She was repaid for her service by being sent to a kill buyer. Thankfully the family that owns her now rescued her and she taught one of their daughters how to ride.

Buffy; Buffy is a Thoroughbred mare and retired show hunter.

Trillion; Trillion is a Dutch Warmblood and showed in the Regular Working Hunters. He won everyshere and at one point was the top horse in the country in the Regulars. He was circuit champion at places like the Winter Equestrian Festival. We joke that Trillion reminds us of Winnie the Pooh and he should walk around hugging a Honey Pot.

The dogs heading down the driveway to the barn. Back to front we have Bugle, Bear, Bella and Trooper.

Leo; Leo is a Dutch Warmblood who showed through 4th level in dressage before becoming a show hunter.

Trigger and Baby; Trigger is an Appendix Quarter Horse and Baby is a Thoroughbred/Dutch Warmblood cross. Both are retired show hunters.

Traveller; Traveller is a Welsh pony cross and retired from the pony hunters.