New!!

So the vet checked out the growth on Val's side and said to just keep an eye on it. We have and it's gone! Also things are going quite well with the two of them. We recently finished making the "round" pen and Sugar has already been free-lunged once.

Also, you may have noticed I've added workshops! Check out the page for the details, but I'd like to add that they're going to be great!

Getting Gelded

About a month ago, I made the decision to get Valentine castrated. While he wasn't acting particularly "studly", I wanted to prevent that behavior from taking place, and take advantage of the nearly fly-less summer we had been having. When I scheduled the surgery I also thought with more than a dose of hope that it might be cooler come September. I was wrong, it hasn't been cooling down until just recently.

So we loaded up Valentine and went to the vet. Leaving him there was a little hard anyway, but it was worse when he realized I was leaving him there and let out the really loud whinnies. I just told myself I didn't want any mini miniatures running around if by some strange reason we got a mare and then the more important reason that according to PATH standards, being "all male" was an issue. (He may someday be apart of a PATH Certified Center)

The surgery went well and the worst problem we've had recently has been getting him use to the trailer again. Takes him awhile to understand that I actually expect him to get in it.

Now, there is a small growth on his side, so we will be taking him to the vet next week and to make sure he's healed as well as I think he has. Both will be getting fecal tests just to make sure the parasite level is very low, and sugar will get his Coggins test updated. Hopefully both of them going at the same time will make things a little easier. Plus after Sugar passes his test, both can be exposed to positive destinations through the trailer so it's not always an evil transporter to them. (I'm thinking a nice trail walk somewhere since I can't drive them yet)

-Felecia

Gimme Some Sugar!

So a couple of months ago, my dad tried introducing Valentine into the herd of sheep thinking they were the same size, all herbivores, and so they'd be fine......not the case. After Val decided to chase the sheep around and then bite our sheep dubbed "granny", he was promptly removed from the pasture and the search for another pony began.

Just a couple of weeks later, we met a couple who just so happened to have a three year old miniature they had no use for. Sugar was kept in the pasture right next door to Val for about two weeks before being allowed together to buck, bite, love on, and then give each other mean looks all they wanted. Closely supervised for the first hour or so, of course. Pretty soon the brotherly arguing died down and we all figured out Val, the stud, was on the bottom of this little pecking order.

Sugar is a wonderful miniature and has such a sweet, gentle soul. When he first came to the farm we were unable to approach him from the side or make ANY sudden movements without him freezing up in fear, and he had major trust issues. Now, he's been worked with for a month and a half (ish) and trusts us far more, we can approach him from the side sometimes though if your new, his face is the best bet, and while sudden movements still scare him a little, some gentle talking is enough to get him to calm down.

Soon we will start free lunging him so we can get those verbal commands down pat, then proceed to start ground-driving (also called double-lunging), and then move on to driving!

He also loves "giving sugar" by putting his nose out for you to kiss.

-Felecia

The best Valentine I ever got

A couple of weeks ago, I got the best Valentine I've ever received. A miniature pony bearing that name.

It all started when my dad looked at a little local newspaper and saw miniature ponies at a good price. Let me give you some background, my mom and I both enjoy the tv show "Heartland". In this show there is an older woman that has a small pony and his name is "Sugarfoot" since seeing this show, my mom has been talking about how someday she wants her own Miniature, to the point where in our home the term isn't "Miniature horse" it's "Sugarfoot". So we went and looked at the ponies that same evening.

Once we got there, we saw Valentine. The owner told us that that's just what the kids called him, and that was only because he was born on Valentine's Day 2012. My mom says when he looked at me his eyes lit up, while I was busy checking over his confirmation, picking up his feet and seeing if he was at all head-shy. Apparently when we went to look at the other one for sale he got this "Nooooo!!" look on his face. The younger pony was still nursing, and wasn't a big fan of people yet. I liked Val a whole lot better and that evening, I decided to get him. Mom just said that he was my pony from the start and that she'd get a "Sugarfoot" later on. The next day I signed the paper and loaded Valentine into the trailer with no problems. His sort-of name fit him very well, so I decided to keep it. He's such a sweetie.

So why would I want a miniature horse? It's not like I could ever ride him, right? Well, those questions lead straight into my career as a Therapeutic Horseback Riding Instructor. What I hope Valentine will someday be able to do is become a therapeutic pony. One of the advantages of having a pony that's so small is that many kids are intimidated by a horse because of it's size. If that fear is so crippling that they can't ride, then maybe they'll be able to connect with a pony that's the size of a dog. Also, miniatures are more "portable" so to speak, so he would be able to be brought to the clients much easier than a full-sized horse. Visiting hospitals and nursing homes where those that can't leave their room would bring smiles and something to look forward to every time he visited. Now, he is an ungelded yearling, so little Val has a long way to go before he's ready for this, but if he maintains his incredible love for people and fairly calm attitude, he'll do wonderfully.

So stay tuned, as we work on how to lead (which sometimes turns into lunging) haltering (we're getting there) and how he reacts to no longer being "The studly young Valentine". It's sure to be interesting.

My Oh My..........

It certainly has been a long time since I've posted. Needless to say, a lot has changed. I no longer am searching for something to do in the equine field, instead I'm thriving as a Therapeutic Horseback Riding Instructor. I discovered this passion a year ago at Shadow Ranch and after volunteering there for just a couple of months, I was hooked. At the beginning of this year I went through the instructor certification at Equest and earned my certification on the best 18th birthday I could have asked for. After one month of searching, I found my current part-time job at Shadow Ranch. Here I'm learning a LOT more than I thought I would about training, caring for horses, and teaching students of all ages.

Working here is therapeutic for ME. Something I didn't expect to happen. Teaching brings me such joy, especially when a student finally "gets" something we've been working on. When it comes to training the horses, they force me to take a deep breath and not get frustrated, something that I definitely need to work on in every area of my life.

I'm extremely thankful I've found a job I genuinely love. I'm much happier when I'm helping others and more in control of my emotions when working with horses. Plus, my coworkers are all awesome. They're people I can open up to and vice versa. I consider you all caught up :)

Throwback Thursday....on a Sunday - Tuffy the Pony

As my search for a horse begins, I decided to take a look at Tuffy the pony. He's a Quarter horse/Welsh Pony cross. The advertisement didn't say much, just his breed and that he was free. When I called the woman, she had told me that he was thin, still a stud, at least 20 years old, and that one of his eyes was messed up. I decided to take a look at him anyway. I'm really glad she told me all of this beforehand. While he was a great height, his confirmation was alright, and looked pretty healthy (with the exception of being so thin), all of the other negatives outweighed that. If it weren't for his messed up eye, (he had gotten a thorn in it or something a couple of years ago) I think I would have gone for him. It was really freaky-looking, which is a problem because he would have to be near really small kids, which might get scared of him because of it. Plus, I don't think it had been looked at by a vet. His temperament was also really good, although he needed a refresher when it came to picking up his feet and riding. I'll keep looking though!

January 19th 2012