Our new Pony!

We have a new pony! It's a long story how I found him, but this pony needed a new home. I didn't know how badly, until he got here.
His hooves have possibly never been trimmed (our horses get their hooves trimmed every 2 months).
Underweight, although not drastic.
Still a stallion (never neutered).
Shedding in weird patches.
But the biggest thing wrong: Terrified. Scared to death. Literally shakes all over. Runs away. Cannot catch him.
Abused.

This is Winslow, day one.

So, got his hooves trimmed. My blacksmith was so kind and patient. Spent a week working with him everyday, several times a day. Very hard to catch him. Usually takes two people - have to corner him. Left his lead line on him, so when you get close can either grab or stand on the lead line. Once caught, his terror is blatant.
Then he got gelded (neutered). This is major surgery. The vet was awesome. My friend Elaine, who came to lend moral support, fainted in the stall. :)

This is Winslow, no longer a stallion. Very wary of me.
And now he must be exercised twice a day, to help his incision heal. At first I thought, how will this ever work? But, bit by bit, he got a tiny bit easier to catch. And lead.

It was a great day, when he would trust me enough to put his head down and eat grass (instead of watching me constantly in fear).

The bonding and trust between us has grown. I bring sweet feed with me to his stall, and he will come to me. I've taken off his lead line. I exercise him every day. We go on walks. I'm teaching him that it is ok for him to be brushed, and washed with a hose. I now have him in a stall next to my "big" horses, and Belle (my mustang mare) has fallen in love with Winslow. You should see. :)
He's still scared, but not as bad.

He is so adorable, and so sweet. Not an aggressive bone in his little body; just wants love. I'll keep you posted!

Kisses

Horse kisses, that is.

Horse Love

Yes, it's true. I've been addicted to horses since the age of 2. Where our backyard ended, a stable began.

Do you know how good horses smell? Their breath is the sweetest thing in the world.

This time of year, my horses take naps in the sun. It is too cute - these big huge animals lying down in the dirt, all happy and drugged by the warm sun after the cool nighttime.

Belle, our mustang is in the front of the picture. If you look towards the back of the arena, you'll see Dozer, our quarterhorse. :)

Mister Grumbles

Dozer is our quarterhorse. He talks to me. Back before he lived on our property - and I used to board him at a stable - he would recognize my car and whinny to me almost as soon as I pulled up.

Smart, yes?

His stall is a little distance away from the house - not too far. He can see everything that goes on. If I take the dogs outside, he starts to talk to me. He grumbles. It's a wonderful horse-talk deep in his throat.

So, I've renamed him.

Mister Grumbles.

Of course, he's asking to be fed. So, most often, I comply with his wishes.

I love that horse.

Winter in Tucson

Frost.

Belle wanted to sniff the camera. Hey, if anybody wants to come ride, let me know! My horses need some exercise!!
Their water trough had ice over the top, they hadn't broken through yet this morning. :)

Knitted Pony Giveaway

Visit the Natural Kids Blog for a chance to win a knitted pony, by me, Woolies! You can choose
your color too! Your pony will be knit just for you!




!

Wild Horses!

Well, not really wild. Domesticated horses, acting WILD. They spend their days in their stalls, with lots of shade and water and hay. At night, we let them out into the arena - which isn't huge, but it's a whole lot bigger than their stalls. I dream of the day when we have real pasture - fields - lots of space for them to roam.

Once in a while, they go a little nuts. Tonight was one of those nights. The bigger horse is Dozer (the one with the blaze on his face). He's a quarter horse. The smaller horse is a mustang - we do not know her background. I believe that she was born in captivity. But she is a true mustang. Her coloring is called line-back dun. And she is brilliant.

Tonight, Dozer was so wild - he reared up - all the way. And as he was galloping, he kicked Belle. I hope she is ok.

Crazy pictures, because it was dusk, and they were kicking up tons of dust, and I had to use the flash!

Crazy!!

Morning Nap in the Sunshine

It got chilly last night; for the first time since April. The air is cool and breezy, and the sun feels warm.

Here's a couple animals that just had to doze in the sun......

This is Belle, our mustang. She could hardly keep her eyes open.

And this is Dozer, our quarter horse. I rarely see him snoozing like this. A few minutes later he rolled, and then got up and shook off the dust:

Want to come riding??

Horses!

I have been a horse fanatic since I was two. Where our backyard fence ended, a stable began. If my Mom couldn't find me, she knew I'd be standing with my face pressed up to the fence, watching the horses. I love everything about these awesome animals.

I have two real horses, Dozer and Belle.

And I've recently listed two horsey stuffed animals in my Woolies shop.

In case there is anybody in your family who loves horses too.

:0)

Burro!

My friend who lives in Colorado did some traveling last weekend - to Grand Junction and areas around there. She sent me some great pictures, but here are my favorites. Meet Paco, the baby burro!

Enjoy!

(I want some burros.....)

Ponies

Just had to share all these ponies! They look so cute all lined up together. They are made in the Waldorf tradition - no facial features. It is up to the child to decide if their pony is happy or sad, playful or wants to nuzzle. There are six of them - being shipped off today! Next up - 5 black sheepies!

:0)

Horse Racing, a rant

Horse racing is big business. Millions of dollars at stake, not just depending on who wins the races, but who sires who, and who foals who might win big races one day. It sickens me.

Because it's all about the people, not about the horses. Now, I do not doubt that the trainers and jockeys and grooms and owners CARE about their horses, I'm quite sure they do. These horses are pampered and very well cared for, after all, they are worth millions.

Today, as the Kentucky Derby ended, the horse who came in second collapsed right after the race. She was a filly (girl horse, unusual in the Derby). She broke both her front ankles. I saw her lying on the track, and I just knew she was done. Heartbreaking.

And Barbaro--- don't get me started on Barbaro. I cried and cried when they finally decided to end his suffering. And he had the very very best of care - the best vets, the best medicine.

I'm just going to say this once:

Horses are not made for this human sport. It is cruel.

Yes, I know it's been going on since the days of the Romans. That does not make it right.

Go ahead, disagree with me. I'd like to hear other points of views.

So after I got done crying for Eight Belles, I took apples out to my horses. I told them about the sadness. They loved their apples.

Ponies

This little pony is about 6" tall. She is knit from all wool, and stuffed with clean carded wool.

I'm not sure I'm listing these in my Etsy shop - they might be somewhere else. I'll let you know.

;0)

Morning

Just wanted to share some morning pictures with you - Happy Thursday, is it the weekend yet?
things bloom in the desert. I have no idea what kind of cactus this is, but it has really pretty flowers. this is a view of our front 'yard', we have some trees! and it really needs a good raking. What are you doing this weekend??


Dozer is worried about the camera, Belle couldn't care less. Dozer moves away to be nearer his girlfriend, it's safer in the herd.

Have a great day!

Dozer and Belle

I have two horses, Dozer and Belle. Dozer is a quarter horse, he came from a ranch and has the brand to prove it. Belle is a mustang, I have heard that she is probably a Mexican mustang (vs American mustang). Belle thinks she is a dog. Both are wonderful horses. I've recently started giving riding lessons, which I love to do.
Two years ago, Dozer and I were riding in Catalina State Park with friends, and something spooked the horses, big-time. Dozer spun, and I was catapulted. Broke my back! I'm pretty much fine, but don't ride like I used to...