Changes are coming!

Not just the changes of the seasons, or a new foal, but changes to the entire ranch. We have joined together with Dancing Pony Farm's teacher, Stephanie Ducharme, to add a lesson program to our ranch!

We will be building a new, larger arena 72 X 150 and once it is completed we will begin converting our present arena into a stall/hay barn.

Lessons will be based on Centered Riding techniques and I am apprenticing with Stephanie. She will be moving up a level soon and by next spring I should be starting the process of gaining my Level 1 certification for Centered Riding as well.

We now have 19 horses on the ranch; nine Curlies and 10 "regular" horses. By the end of this week (July 6th) we will have added three more horses (two Curlies and one regular). The Curlies will out number the regulars!!!

The changes already accomplished have been amazing. We've added fencing into the hay field so it is now pasture; the old barn foundation is gone and the ground will be graded for two winter paddocks; landscaping is being completed with some of the boulders from the foundation, the foundation for the arena is down and the building is delivered. Wow. A lot of work, but a lot more to be completed.

In May our lead mare had her colt, *GMC Envoy's Pride, whom we call *Leo and is he ever a whippersnapper!

In June we had our French Agricultural exchange student arrive and she is just wonderful to have around.

I'll try to update the blog more often as these changes occur.

Check back soon!

*Sage is gone. Not gone from this world, but gone from our immediate lives.

Just like little birds are fledged from the nest; like humans leave their familial homes to take the world on; so do little foals grow into big horses and need to find families of their own.

That is where *Sage has gone; to a new place, to a family who loves him, and to a little girl who wants to grow with him and share all sorts of fantastic adventures.

To them I say "Godspeed" and "Fare thee well". This is the type of adventure story books will be written about.

A friend shared an anonymous poem with me that seems most appropriate for this time:

"It came to me that every time I lose a horse, they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new horse who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be horse, and I will become as generous and loving as they are."

*Sage, from you I learned so much. I'll miss you.

As some of you may know from our website, our 3 year old gelding sold last year to a wonderful family in Maine. *Sage is still here with us through, until springtime allows us to easily transport him home.

In the meanwhile, I am continuing to work with him. On Wednesday I had the help of my friend and trainer, Stephanie, to teach *Sage to lunge.

We used the TTEAM technique called "Homing Pigeon" but modified it so that Stephanie had a the lunge lead and I a regular one. For those unfamiliar with Homing Pigeon, it is a process whereby two people lead a horse at once. The purposes behind this are many, but primarily it is very supportive of the horse.

*Sage began with going to the right. Stephanie in the inside, giving the directions to *Sage; me on the outside to lend support to Stephanie's directions. At first, *Sage was slightly mystified. But then he learned that the wand raised meant "Walk"; a "Walk on" from Stephanie meant "go faster"; and "Easy Walk" meant to slow down. He already knows "whoa", but his thought was to turn and face Stephanie when she asked for it. That is really where my presence was important; helping him to 'whoa' and stay on the circle.

Once he seemed to get the whole concept, it was time to change his direction. We allowed him some time between though, because "dwell time" is important in any education (horse OR human).

Wow! What a different horse! Going to the left was not easy for him at all. He was highly irritated that she would occasionally tap his left hip to ask him to walk. He flipped his head and swished his tail mightily. Stephanie toned down her ask when I also noted that his nose was wrinkled and his right eye held a baleful look, lol. This helped some, but it really was hard for him to get the whole concept on this side of his body.

What a demonstration in how separate a horse's brain is. Eventually, he did walk forward easily, the whoa was never as easy as it had been in the other direction, though. When he had gotten a decent 'whoa', we stopped (always end on a good note!) and stood there talking to allow him quiet dwell time. All in all, a really good session for *Sage.

Some of you may still ask, though, "Why teach a horse to lunge at all?" Lunging, when used correctly, is a good way to teach a horse to be responsible for carrying their own body. A young horse is still learning to balance on their four legs. Youthful play in large areas with like minded companions is the first step in helping them gain expertise over their rapidly growing bodies. Then, as it comes closer to the time to teach them their job, just like P.E. in elementary school, it is time to set them tasks to help them gain further expertise. Lungeing teaches them how to accelerate and decelerate smoothly; it helps them learn balance; and it also lets them learn how to connect to a human and their voice and body suggestions. It is also a first step for ground-driving, which will allow further enhancement of that body-expertise.

Check back for a blog on teaching *Sage to ground-drive!

p.s. I learned how to be lunged very well and will not need further lessons!!

We have had some really wonderful weather in the past week, and today is also warm, but we've added more than another foot of snow in the past few days as well. This is the time of year that folks begin talking about "cabin fever".

If you've never heard of "cabin fever" it is simply the feeling of being stuck in the house while wanting to get out and enjoy the fresh air, work in the garden, or simply take a walk without wearing about a ton of clothing.

Talking with other horse owners, I find that we rarely suffer from "cabin fever" and I believe that this is because we must be outside several hours each day no matter the weather. In fact, if anything, we yearn for time to be inside to pursue other hobbies, or just kick back and watch a favorite video.

Speaking of videos, I must mention that I recently purchased a new video produced by Denise Conroy of www.curlyhorsecountry.com. It will be a wonderful addition to my booth at the Everything Equine in Essex Junction, VT the end of April. Denise collected high resolution pictures and videos of Curly Horses and put them together with some great music that was synced well with the pictures. Fantastic!! It is inexpensive, with Denise only asking enough to cover the cost of the materials and postage. Check it out!

Here's hoping that if you find yourself suffering from "cabin fever" you can get out and enjoy your favorite horse!

BLIZZARD!



February 14, 2007 has gone down in history as experiencing the second largest snow storm to hit Vermont. The snow moved in after midnight on Wednesday morning and kept up until the wee hours of Thursday morning.



The problems didn't stop there, though, as we needed to dig out afterwards. Luckily, it was so cold that the snow was light and fluffy although we ended up with about 2-1/2 feet of it. Chuck shoveled pathways out to two of the paddocks and then out to the driveway, which had been plowed once on Wednesday. That just meant that the snow was only up to my knee, not mid-way up my thigh! He also shoveled from the arena out to Sage & Dude's paddock.



After feeding all the horses (Babe stayed inside today as her paddock doesn't offer a shelter from the wind), we shoveled out both vehicles. Here's a picture of what they looked like before we cleared the snow from them.



The rest of the day we simply took care of the horses as the windchill was about 15 to 20 below zero! They got plenty of hay and stayed in their shelters.



I hear that the weather in Helena, Montana is in the upper 30's and lower 40's...maybe it's time to move???



Hope you're staying warm!

So much has happened in the last 3 weeks. First, the family was ill, including me. We are rarely that sick, so when it happens it makes us happy that we typically have good health.

Then last weekend I traveled to Arizona to visit a childhood friend of mine and her family. I had never been to Arizona previously, so besides having a wonderful time visiting with them, I also got to see a bit of the area. We visited the Arizona-Sonoma Desert Museum (www.desertmuseum.org) and it was so beautiful. I was fascinated with the plethora of fauna; I had never realized there was so many varieties of cacti! I truly appreciated the little plaques naming the different types. Here I am standing next to a Saguaro. This Saguaro is well over 75 years old; perhaps upwards of 150! We also visited the town of Tombstone which is known for the Bird Cage Theater, a famous honky-tonk, as well as the "Shoot out at the OK Corral".

Arriving home this past Monday, I had one day to recover and then the new mare we had purchased arrived. *UB Raggae Babe is a lovely lady and we're glad to have her. I'm looking forward to establishing a long lasting and enjoyable partnership with her.

And lastly, we are happy to announce that we have no more horses for sale! *GMC Coyote Bill has had a deposit placed on him and will become the fun partner of a wonderful local woman, Cheryl. *Bill will continue to live here with us for the next couple of years so he can grow up within a herd and have plenty of room to stretch those growing limbs before he moves to join Cheryl's other horses.

Such an active three weeks!

Having horses is not all fun. Sometimes, (thankfully only sometimes), it is scary and worrisome. For as large as horses are, they can, at times, seem to be frightfully fragile creatures. One of the most worrisome of ailments is "colic". What is that? For you non-horsie folks, it can be as simple as an upset stomach or as disasterous as a twisted bowel (aka twisted gut).

Horses have a huge digestive system, and their intestines are quite long. They also have an organ called a Cecum. This organ helps them to digest, and because of it, they actually can get a lot of nutrition even from the roughest and meanest of forages. Consequently, they also can easily get toxins as well. That is the flip-side to being good "digest-ers".

This past Friday, our littlest guy, *Bill refused to eat his evening grain. Whenever a horse refuses to eat, that sends up alarms. I took a quick listen to his gut sounds on both sides, and heard very little. This increased our alarm. In addition, he kept reaching back to touch his left side, and he wanted to lay down. All of this pointed to possible colic.

Guin ran in to get his halter and lead rope. Once on we began walking him. We would walk him four to five loops around the pasture, then stop and listen. Each time I listened, it seemed that there were more gurgles, more pops. We kept walking. We'd stop, I'd listen. Then I would lightly massage his abdomin, working from front to back. Success!! He passed manure (you're laughing, I can hear you! But this is an important thing!)

We kept walking. After *Glory had finished her evening grain, she came down to the bottom of the pasture and starting eating hay. As we would pass, she would nicker encouragement. Sometimes we would stop by her and see if he was interested in milk. Nope, not yet. More walking, more listening, more massaging. GAS!! Yippee! (You're laughing again!)

More walking. Manure!! Yahoo! Then Chuck got home and came right down to help walk him. I ran up to get the thermometer, timer, and flashlight (why do horses wait for the dark to get sick?). Back down and I listen...yep, lots more gut sounds....take tempature (100.8~good that's normal)....check capillary action in his gum tissue (wow, fast refill and pink gums).

"What's that *Bill? You want milk?"

Wahoooooooo. All is now well.

Had *Bill not passed manure, had he not begun to perk up so fast, then we would have placed a call to the vet. Colic is a very serious ailment for a horse. All it takes is good observation and knowing your horses to spot when something isn't quite right with one of them. Thankfully, Guin was the quick observer this time, and we were able to set him right pretty quickly.

Thanks, Guin.

This weekend I attended a Centered Riding clinic. For those unfamiliar with Centered Riding, this is a style that helps you gain a more balanced seat and reach a better partnership with your horse. It will help you with all disciplines. Below you will find reports from each day of the clinic.

Friday Night:

Tonight was mostly a get to know you session. We talked about our horse experience, our fears (if we have them), injuries, and our desires.

Then we did a breathing exercise.

Breathing properly is integral to Centered Riding (CR). So it was in through the nose and deep into our center (lower abdomen); out through the mouth but allowing the breath to go down our backs and into our seatbones and tail bone. Allowing that section to get more connected to the earth and more centered.

Saturday:

This morning we spent exploring the four aspects to Centered Riding.

Breathing, Soft eyes, Centering and the "building blocks" (ears, shoulders, hips, heels in a line). By teaching these things through exercises it is hoped it will allow us to translate them onto the horse.

I think a lot of this is rather self-evident, but it still gave time for self-reflection and getting more in-tune with my body. The one thing I noticed was that of the four, the one that allowed me the most relaxation was the soft eyes and not the breathing.

The afternoon was divided into 4 different riding groups and I got to be in the first one. During our hour to hour and a half time, we took those four components and practiced them on horse back, really feeling the movement of the horse and allowing our bodies to get into their rhythm. At that point the instructor began having us work to influence the horse, using tension, balance and movement of our centers. Because I am used to feeling my body, in many ways it came more easily than I thought it would. And of course, I have had wonderful instruction in this from Stephanie.

Again, I found that focusing on my breathing did not relax me the way I had assumed it might, BUT the soft eyes did! I was amazed at how soft I got, and therefore how soft Tapestry got, simply because I went all soft eyed. This cycle of soft eyes, relaxation of me, relaxation of Tapestry allowed me to be more in tune with her and it became a real cycle. Definitely a case of self-fulfilling prophecy!

The one thing I had more trouble with was the way they wanted me to whoa. The day before I had worked with Marcy with whoa-ing Beau and it is quite easy. Exhale, soft seat, bring shoulders slightly up and then back and down, which aligns my elbows with my hips. This causes a very slight tension in the reins, but not a pull. He stops and I release quickly. When I whoa-d that way today, I got strong correction! "No pulling" I was told. "Heavy elbows, light wrists, lift your hands UP!" I will say that Marcy cautioned me about letting my hands sag downward in a whoa, but they really wanted my hands to go UP. At one point my arms were almost straight up to get Tap to stop. This was confusing to her, and to me. Because I am not 100% sure that this was really what they wanted (it could have been an exaggeration to make me more aware of keeping my wrists from sagging), I will be interested to see what it is like tomorrow.

However, all in all, I feel that I came away with great inner leg connection to the horse and more relaxation.

Sunday:

As with yesterday, we began the day on the ground. After going over what we had learned and listening to questions/observations/thoughts etc. we did a couple of exercises to help us become more body aware and learn to connect to another being.

The first was called "dolls" and one of us stood, centered, closed our eyes and relaxed; they were the 'doll'. The other person was the positioner and, once they were centered, would begin to move the 'doll' while still maintain her center and balance. As with other exercises I found that our breathing synchronized. Being moved was interesting because you were giving control of your body up to, and trusting in, someone else. Being the mover was realizing how much the 'doll' needed to trust you. With both, it felt like a dance.

The next exercise I had done before and it was where one person was the "horse" and held the bit in their mouth (hands), while the other rode. Because of my previous experience it did not bring total revelations to me unlike it did for my partner. She hadn't experienced this exercise and was really amazed at how it felt. I feel it is a wonderful refresher anyway, and for those who have never done it, definitely worth a try. It simply makes you more conscious of how that bit feels in your horse's mouth and why balancing on your hands in NOT a good thing.

After lunch break we went to the arena and did one more exercise. Here we paired with the partner from one of yesterday's exercise. This time, one of us was behind the other's back and placed our hands under their elbows. For the first part we were simply to guide this "horse" around...no centering allowed. Then we were to center ourselves and mindfully plan where we were going. Again, once synchronized, it felt like a dance. Definitely something to strive for with your horse partner.

Then we went onto riding. Today was not as easy for me as yesterday as I got to ride a different horse (who's name happens to be Beau, but not *my* Beau). This horse was not a subtle horse, and for the hour or so I was on his back, I was not going to be able to soften him or cause him to become subtle. Everything I did had to be done, not just decisively, but strongly and with HUGE energy (for me) behind it. This made it difficult because I have always striven for softness and "less is more" with my own horses.

Anyway, we practiced the exercises from yesterday and then we began to work more with speeding up the horse by knowing when he was stepping under himself with his inside leg and applying more of our own inside leg to get him to stretch his stride. Then we shortened the stride by stepping into our inside stirrup, which necessitates our inside seat bone to become heavier. This was *particularly* hard for me. I was pushing down with my seat bone so hard that I was in danger of off balancing myself. Finally he responded! Phew!

Next we worked with direct and indirect reins...steering our horses off the wall and back to it by using our seatbones, and the direct/indirect reins. This led up to our turning the horse completely around using an indirect rein and our focus (and therefore seatbone and leg).

So, I did learn some useful techniques that I can carry with me even if it was slightly frustrating to use a horse that was a bit deadened to all but the deepest of connection.

With the rush of the holidays passed, I can once again keep my blog more active. I hope that all of you who read this had a joyous time with your family and friends, no matter which holiday in December that you celebrate.

This fall, and now, winter has been about change for me. It is time to put "Adria" first in many ways. Guin will be 17 in the spring and she no longer needs me as much, so I can begin to form my 'own' life after spending the past 26 years being a mom.

To that end I have begun taking lessons again. Not just riding lessons, which are wonderful, but also driving lessons. And I am having a blast!

Driving a horse might, at first blush, seem less intimate a relationship compared to riding one. After all, the only connection you have with the horse that you are driving is through the reins and bit. But let me assure you that this connection is an intense one, and the feedback...the communication...that occurs from horse to driver and back again, through those reins is deep, committed, and fabulous.

Marcy Baer, of Briar Hill Farms, is my instructor, and I could not possibly ask for one that is better, or more committed to having me get the most out of my lessons. She teaches more than skill, but enjoyment as well, which makes it all worth it to my way of thinking. You can read/learn more about her at her website: http://www.bryhyl.homestead.com/home.html I will be forever indebted to her for sharing her love and skills with me. I also am thankful to Susan Cook, who's horse, Bryhyl Aryel, I get to drive. Aryel is also a wonderful teacher.

Yesterday, during my lesson, Marcy shared with me the three things one needs in working with a horse: relaxation, rhythm, and contact. Once all of these are achieved well, the lesson, for both horse and rider/driver goes well. It was interesting to note that as I worked on achieving these with Aryel, I also worked on achieving these within myself. The more relaxed I became, the more relaxed Ayrel became; the better my focus on her rhythm, the more I could set my body within Ayrel's rhythm; the more secure, yet soft, my connection through the reins, the better the communication became.

All of this led to a state that, for me, was akin to Nirvana. A oneness with Ayrel whereby the slightest move of my hand, contraction of my arm muscle, or even a turn of my torso caused a response in her direction. My breathing deepened, and I felt truly connected to her, as if we were one being traveling together through the sand of the arena, negotiating the cones.

At the end of the lesson, Marcy pointed out to me that Ayrel had created that foam around the bit, that indicated she too had received pleasure from our interaction. A horse who is relaxed and bent properly at the pole, will salivate and create foam around the bit. Only a horse who is in a "zen" state during that time will create the foam. It seems I am making progress in my driving, afterall.

This time of year is so busy! Yet, because of the horses, one is forced to slow down and set priorties. These lovely beings that share their lives with us are dependent on us for food and water, and a clean place to live.

So, each day, one of us (usually me) must take the time to clean their paddocks, refill the water vats, and bring up the hay that is needed for the day. Since it has been so unusually warm the horses have not been eating the same amount of hay as they had last year at this time. But still, eat they must.

Then there is the twice a day graining. I pay especial attention to what my horses eat, and try to do what is best for them. Presently all the horses get a 2:1 oats to alfalfa pellet mix, BOSS, a vitamin/mineral mix based on our hay mix, flax seed, Apple Cider Vinegar, and 2 drops of Iodine. Vermont is known to be iodine poor in our soil, so I opted to give the horses just a little extra.

They get more grain in the winter time than in the summer when they are out on pasture. Truly forage is the basic component of all they need, and I like knowing that they are getting good forage from our land here.

After chores, I try to work with one horse each day, though I hope to increase that to two each day after the holidays. I have been exposing them all to the "thinking" exercises I've learned through the weekly TEAM workshop, and I will also soon begin teaching the youngest about climbing into the trailer.

If this isn't enough to keep me busy, add in housework, web site maitenance, and 2 lessons per week. I lead a busy life. It is hard to change routines and take the time to bake, cook, shop, and decorate.

Yet, I love this time of year. For me it is not only a time of reflection on what has been, and planning ahead to what is hoped to be, but a time to celebrate the return of the sun.

My wish for all of you is that the return of the sun brings great light into your lives!

Happy Winter Solistice!

As the year draws to an end, it is a good time to think about what has been accomplished and what your goals for the future are. To that end I thought an update would be great and I hope it interests you. If not, feel free to delete!

This year we participated in the Everything Equine in April. Although we didn't take horses this time, the booth was a success with lots of visitors and so many asked "Do you have a Curly here?" To them I said, "Put a suggestion in!" That was the EE's third year and it has grown each year. I understand that there are plans for improvement for next April and we already have our booth there (more about this below)

We hosted a small, but successful, The Equine Touch workshop in May and it was wonderful to learn of yet another way to help our beloved 4 legged friends feel good in their bodies.

In July we welcomed *GMC Coyote Bill and he has been a great addition to the farm. He is highly personable and always comes up to meet new folks. Not shy, that one! Yep, he's for sale (shameless plug). (Here's a picture of him from our Christmas photo shoot...unretouched)

Since October I have stepped up my horse work. I am taking lessons twice a week (one riding, one driving); participate in a Friday evening workshop learning TEAM concepts which I am then using with each of our horses; I am swapping time with the leader of the workshop also in that she comes and helps me with my youngsters and I help her with hers. This is loads of fun for both of us!

*GMC Jimmy Dee (aka Sage) has sold to a wonderful new family and he will go to his new home in Maine next spring.

And last, but not least at all, *Beau is living at our trainer's farm, Briar Hill, just 10 minutes away, where he is receiving instruction in riding and driving. To that end Marcy has offered to ride him for me in the Everything Equine show, should we get a slot, and my other trainer, Stephanie has offered to show him for me next show season in Dressage and English Pleasure. I am excited by this prospect.

This jumps us into our plans for next year, which do center around *Beau a lot. We have the EE in April and shows from then through September. Additionally, I hope to get a space in the HUGE Champlain Valley Fair over the Labor Day period. I will continue working with each of our horses and we hope to be able to take *Glory to Marcy's next year to be re-started for driving. She is an awesome mare, but we have pretty much decided that her days of becoming a mom are done, it is time for her to begin another job and we feel driving a cart/sleigh is a great one for her. We'll see! Additionally, I have accepted the challenge from Denise Conroy (http://curlyhorsecountry.com/), to ride/drive *Beau for 100-150 miles per month, for a consecutive 3 months, barefoot...with before and after shots of his feet, to see if a Curly "can do" barefoot as it is touted they can do!

We, at Green Mountain Curlies, Inc, wish you all a safe and joyous Winter season and a fabulous New Year!

Head, heart, hands, and health; the four "H's" of 4H. For many years our youngest daughter was a member of 4H. From this she learned so much that will go on to enhance her life. Because of her involvement, we are a great supporter of 4H and thus were glad to welcome the Blazing Saddles to our farm on Tuesday, November 21, 2006 for a visit to learn about North American Curly Horses.

The visit began with a brief history about Curlies and from there we branched into: Physical Characteristics; Types of curly hair; Smooth-coated Curlies; and Emotional Characteristics. Along the way I was able to spin stories about the Curlies with whom I've been blessed to share life. While I was talking, *GMC Yukon Jack, our long yearling, grazed quietly behind me.

As I lifted his lead to bring him in and invited those around me to feel his curls, he looked up and gazed at the 30-odd members of the 4H group. He sighed and promptly went back to grazing the grass at my feet. He was an oh-so-worried little guy, as you can see!!

Once I returned Jack to his paddock, I took the group around to meet the other horses. *Red Running Star, our 8 year old extreme gelding, garnered allot of questions from the group. "Where is his tail hair? Why does he lose his hair? Is he bothered by it?" I explained that it is just normal for him and that he doesn't seem to know he is the "Patrick Stewart" of the horse world; Red is just who he is. Characteristically, he had his head over the fence and visited the whole time we chatted about him. He is one friendly fellow.

But the hit of the whole day was our 4 month old colt, *GMC Coyote Bill. Bill had never seen so many "little humans" before; only one or two at a time had been to visit previously. He was fascinated and came right up to the fence to visit with everyone. His dam, *Glory of Philea West, paid a short visit, but as she is a very calm and easy-going mare, shortly returned to her hay and let Bill stay at the fence. All were amazed not only at his beautiful curls, but at how friendly and curious he was. Repeatedly I was asked, "And how old is he?" as if they could not believe that such a young horse would be so outgoing. Just a typical Curly, I told them.

All in all, the Blazing Saddles spent about an hour and a half learning about North American Curly Horses, and I'm proud to say that they went away know a lot more, and being impressed by, the breed we are proud to love.

Summer has advanced into fall, and it has been unusually warm, but also unusually wet. I have finally gotten to the point that it has become "my turn" to delve into more intricacies of working with horses, and I'm having the time of my life!

I am taking lessons twice each week, one riding and one driving; plus, I am participating in a Friday evening workshop learning some TEAM techniques. TEAM stands for Tellington-Jones Equine Awareness Method, and this style of working with horses really helps the horse develop their own intelligence and a better sense of self. It is great fun learning and working with the various horses available, as well as working with other interested people, especially since I do spend so much of my time with my horses alone.

At home I still do the majority of chores by myself....mucking, watering, haying. Any repair or clean-up work also, though the big projects wait for Chuck's help on the weekends. And I work with all the horses at least once per week, although the goal is twice each week. It becomes difficult to accomplish this when "housewife" type duties impinge on my time (but I know, we humans DO have to eat ). Add to this that I am responsible for running the business, updating the website, and writing this blog....well I guess you can see why I have let so much time lapse between entries.

However, I am now going to try to become a better blogger. I have recently linked to a new website, www.curlyhorsecountry.com, and if you are interested in learning more about Curlies, please visit them.

Blessings to you and yours and if you are a resident of the United States, have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Sunday evening, 7/16/06, we went out to feed the horses as usual. Also as usual, I checked Glory’s milk status as her due date was 7/25/06. The moment I squeezed the milk into my film canister I knew that tonight would be the night. Her milk had gone deeply white, not just the color of condensed milk.

As evening came on, we readied two stalls, the larger for Glory and a smaller one for Walker to keep her company. I also brought down a sleeping bag and the foal kit. I had set up the little white Christmas lights already and they would give plenty of light to see by. It was a hot summer night, and all was quiet.

We left the two ladies there while we finished things up in the house. About 10 p.m. I went down to bed down on my sleeping bag.

Glory was so curious, and came up to the fence to watch me. I told her that I would sleep with her to keep her company and that I knew it was strange, but humans lay down to sleep. That seemed to satisfy her and she went back to noshing on hay.

I had an alarm with me, that was set to go off every hour, and go off it did. It was no problem to wake me up, and the first alarm also brought Guin down with her sleeping bag to keep us all company.

Each time the alarm went off, I would rouse myself and check on her; however that did not mean I was getting a lot of sleep. I admit that I have never slept with horses before and the tremendous variety of noises they made during the night made for a restless time for both of us.

About 2 o’clock Guin asked if I was awake and I said, “Yes”. She said, “Glory seems a bit restless now.” and I replied, “It probably won’t be much longer then.”

We both drifted in and out of a half-sleep for the next hour and then by 3 a.m. we really knew it wouldn’t be long. Glory had begun to circle in the stall, and when she would stand she would reach back with her nose and touch her abdomen, stretching out to both sides to do so.

Neither Guin nor I could go back to sleep now, and so we lay quietly watching the miracle unfold.

At about 3:20 her movement increased and she passed gas, then stood and spread her legs as if she was going to urinate; however, her water broke and gushed out several times. Glory’s pacing increased and then she lay down. Her head was facing the opening but her back was quite close to the fence line, so Guin and I decided to open up the stall walls to give her more room if she needed it.

Glory began to grunt with the contractions and because I know she is comfortable with me, I quietly walked around back to check on the progress. I could see two legs and a nose beginning to poke out and told Guin so. After a few more grunts I sensed that Glory was not happy. She actually got up and turned around, having her backside face out of the stall now. That was when I realized that one leg was MUCH further out than another. A locked elbow!

Without thinking, just knowing what I had to do, I reached inside, following the shorter leg up inside to the bent elbow. I attempted to get my hand around it, but, quite honestly panicked. I sent Guin to wake up Chuck in case I needed him, and once she was gone, I centered myself; knowing that I had to help Glory.

I said to her, “Don’t worry honey, I’ll help you get this one out.”

Once again, I reached inside and this time I was able to work my hand in around the elbow and cup it in my hand. The pressure inside was amazing, but Glory seemed to know what I had to do. With gentle, but firm pressure I lifted and slightly pushed back on the elbow, while also pulling on the leg that was further out. It took me three times of repositioning my hand and body, and the whole time Glory had her head up, with one eye on me and worked with me. Then, sluuuurrrrppppp, the foal was born!! It happened so fast and he was almost born into my arms! Glory let out a deep sigh and laid her head down to totally relax.

Within seconds both Guin and Chuck arrived, and the little guy began to rock up onto his sternum and shake the water from his ears! All was well!

To see pictures of our newest little guy, *GMC Coyote Bill, please visit our webpages. Thank you!!

Friends sometimes are found in places one least expects. For those of us who are familiar with on-line communities, to find real friends, ones that you can still enjoy in real-time, doesn't seem unlikely, or odd. But those who are not that connected through the 'net, or who are new to it, only think about the scary situations that are played up by Hollywood. While it is true, that you must be careful, that it is easy to think you know someone through their words; without being able to watch their face, their eyes, their body gestures, it is relatively easy to be misled. Yet, this happens in real-life so much more often; it is just that we are used to it, whereas, the 'net is still so new in our human existance.

We are blessed to have gotten to know some super wonderful people through our 'net and horse connections, and this weekend we were honored to host a get-together for six women friends, who joined us from around the world to visit and chat about horses.

CJ joined us from England. She has many passions including Parelli training, classical dressage, and hooves; but more importantly she has an overwhelming drive to share those passions. Michelle, from Connecticut, is truly gifted in finding animals who need her, and lovingly, openly, sharing herself to help them live happily. She extends this to the people around her too. Deanna, from Ontario, brought Clicker-training to life for us. She is adept at finding the try in the horse, and also shares her enthusiam for longer-distance riding. Steph, from Massachusetts, although unowned by a horse (much to her chagrin), is enthusiastic and determined to get there some day. She has already sold her soul (hehe) and traded physical labor for riding lessons, while biding her time. Yvonne, from Ontario, was our quiet one, but what talent! She is driven by the need to create and to learn, and is a silversmith/jewelry designer AND a horse owner. When her life quiets some from raising children, her horses will receive the benefit from a creative energy, but quietly centered soul. And finally, Susan, also from Ontario. Susan has found the love that horses bring into our lives, and with her sincerity, her deep understanding, and her desire to become further connected is moving toward a true partnership inspite of suffering a set-back over a year ago that would have devastated a less stout-hearted woman.

All of these women joined us for one deeply satisfying 24 hour period, and our lives are much better for it. We all learned much, but mostly we learned that we hope we can join together again at some point.

May all of you reading this, find such a blessing in your lives, that goes beyond any mere social connection to the type that binds soul-to-soul, on such a sublime level.

Finally, some sun! This weekend was beautiful, even though we still are suffering the muddy remains of the snow earlier this week.

Besides are usually weekend activities of trailering Red and Guin for their lesson with Marcy Baer of Briar Hill Farms; trash and recycling run; and the normal horsie care, we worked with our hay guy, Steve, to erect poles for our winter paddocks. We had cut cedar earlier this fall, and had gotten most of them stripped when the rainy weather prevented us from finishing that job. So we put them up anyway, knowing full well those will be the ones that need to be replaced first.

We created two paddocks on either side of the pipe that leads to our leach field. We have to keep the horses off of the field, and no heavy machinery on it either! But in the winter, we like to have the horses closer to the house. This eases the necessary chores of haying and watering.

Last year, as we had just moved in and were living in the cellar, we used T-posts and 3 strands of electric rope, just as we have out in the pastures. However, we found that this set-up didn't work that well in deep winter. Whether it was due to their thickened coat or the ground not being good enough or the snow acting as insulation, the shock value of the fence was considerably lessened.

So, we decided to give wood a chance. The paddocks are smaller than the pastures, and each will have their own run-in, of course. We hope to have at least one round of wood crosspieces for each paddock this year and will run electric for the rest, unless we find the wood a bit cheaper than expected. Our desire is to eventually run 3 rounds of crosspieces, and electric wire to discourage chewing.

We designed in two gates in each paddock. A 10 foot one at the bottom and a 4 foot one at the top. Horses and humans can go in and out either gate depending on the ice conditions. Hopefully, we will get started on the crosspieces this week. Here's a picture of the posts.

Snow. Heavy, wet, slushy snow. That is what we awoke to this morning. We have had almost a week and a half of very wet weather, and nigh on to three weeks of grey, with a bit of sunshine thrown in for special effects.

This has been a highly unusual fall for us. Our typical fall weather pattern is some rains in September, followed by crisp October mornings, bright, warm sunshine during the days that reflect from brilliantly colored trees....golds of poplars; reds and oranges of ash and maples; finally followed by the burnished gold of the Tamarack tree, the only conifer that I know of to lose its needles in the fall. But not this year. Throughout September we had a continuation of summer; hot, muggy, and bright sunshine but absolutely no frost! October has been grey and wet. When we finally got a frost, three days ago, it was much closer to a freeze, than the light first frosts of fall. Two nights of freeze and then snow!

As can be expected this has slowed our progress on the winter paddocks and that meant that we have had to turn two of our spring/summer pastures into sacrifice yards. Horse hooves are damaging in the best of weather, and that is why it is important to rotate them through the area, allowing parts to recover. But when it is wet and miserable, the hooves to extensive damage. This means that for next year we will have to keep them from the two pastures for much longer than expected. The damage isn't irreparable, but it will take time for the grasses to recover.

And so, we work on with a goal of completion of another three weeks.

In the meantime, we did, get to celebrate our new home by holding a house warming party for friends. This joy and fun was increased by being able to welcome our long time friends from Ontario, Bruce and Marlene Tilson. They also happen to be the breeders of our stallion, Beau. It was great to have them here and let them see how Beau has matured. We talked ourselves hoarse (pardon the pun!) Here is a picture Chuck took of Bruce and Beau together.

We certainly hope your fall weather is much better than ours and you are able to truly enjoy this change of seasons.

This morning dawned misty and cool; rather typical for early September. However, by mid-morning, the fog had burned away, there were few clouds, and the sky was brilliantly blue. First on my list was to rinse out and refill the water vats in each pasture.

Because the horses live full time in pastures, we keep vats of about 40 gallons from which they drink. We have a rain barrel that has a hose out of the bottom, which we put onto the tailgate of the pick-up truck, fill, and then drive out to whatever pastures the horses are in. First I visited the Walker-Red-Sage pasture, and while dumping the vat and scrubbing it, Red had to come and stick his head into the vat to see what I was doing. Such fun, a horse head, my head, shoulders, and arms, and my brush, all scrubbing the bottom of the vat! He is always such a helper.

Once clean, I began to refill it. Red, of course, supervised most of the work, and as I was standing there making sure he didn't flip the hose out of the vat, like he loves to do, I felt this nuzzling on the back of my neck. I turned to find Sage "right there", up close and very personal. Mind, Sage and I are not what you would consider "pals"; his favorite past time with me is testing me..."Are you still leader?" he asks several times each day. So, I was quite surprised that he nuzzled me. I gave him a loving rub, and then went back through the fence to the truck.

Next-up was the Glory-Beau-Jack vat, and Beau was right there to supervise the work. Glory always trusts that I'll perform my duties correctly, but Beau occasionally likes to look on. Today, he too was feeling affectionate, and while I worked, he stood very close, with just his body hair touching me. Once or twice, he even wrapped his head and neck around me. So many people would be terrified by this behaviour in a stallion, but they don't know Beau. He lives for affection and to please.

Once watering duties were accomplished it was time to pick pooh. I was determined to really get it all out, as the rain two days before, from the remnants of Hurricane Katrina, had inhibited getting it out. There is nothing more wonderful than filling a wheelbarrow full of sodden, soaked horse manure, and then dragging said wheelbarrow though ankle deep mud to dump it in the pile. Why, you may ask, do I bother? Firstly, it is just that the pastures look more tidy, but most importantly, it helps with both control of reinfestation of parasites (gut worms) and with fertilization of the pastures. Manure, as it rots, will "burn" the vegetation, and if left in clumps, will not rot as quickly. Since we do not have a tractor yet, I remove the manure by hand, and make sure that what is left behind is thin and can either dry, or rot quickly, there in the pasture. Today's work was arduous and took the better part of four hours. I will not regale you with the stories of plopping and bouncing manure balls, but I can describe the time spent.

As I mentioned it was beautiful. The horses were happily grazing until the heat set in and the face flies became bothersome. I have learned to do my work with my mouth closed because of the flies, having had one attempt to visit my lungs, I have decided I didn't want to enjoy that sensation again. And since my hands are quite busy with the whatever work I'm enjoying, I have learned to flip my ponytail, and quiver my skin, just like our horses do to rid themselves of these tickling creatures. At one point, I found myself near one of our wild apple trees; these ones are red, and so I picked three. They are not big, but about the size of ping-pong balls. I have not tasted them, but the horses delight in apple snacks, no matter size or lack of sweetness. First up was Walker, and oh, her love of apples rivals Glory's! Walker is a slave to her stomach, truly, and I have used clicker training with great success with her. Yet, for all her love of food, she is always quite delicate when taking something from your hand. Walker is a strict alpha-mare, but highly conscientious about her duties, namely to make sure all in her herd are safe. Snatching something from a human is far from her mind.

Then I visited with Sage, but he preferred to play with his apple. Actually he is one of the few horses I have ever known that does not particularly enjoy them; carrots yes, apples "no thank you". However, that doesn't prevent me from offering, as with all youngsters, they can change their minds at any given moment. Sage eventually lost his apple to his mom (I did tell you she loves apples).

Red, waited patiently for me to make it to him. This is unusual with Red, as food is even more important to him than it is loved by Walker. You see, Red was rescued from a neglectful situation by his previous owner. She worked hard and lovingly to restore him to health and happiness; but his concern over not getting enough to eat will always be with him. He is often rather "bully-ish" about getting to his bucket, or his pile of hay, but today he was content to wait his turn. I made sure to reward that and gave him two small apples.

Later in my work, I found myself by another apple tree, and was surprised to discover that these apples are turning Yellow as they ripen! They are also much larger than the small red ones; perhaps the size of billiard balls. This I couldn't resist trying for myself! I found a branch with a nice sized one that I could reach over the electric fence. Getting zapped on the underarm was not what I had in mind for my fun today! I snagged the apple, examined it for worm damage (none) and brazenly bit into it. I expected a tart, slightly astringent taste/feel, but what I got was a lightly sweet and juicy one! YUM! Oh,oh, Red spied me, and looked expectantly. How could I resist our Patrick Stewart of horsedom? Red is fully, a handsome, loving horse, who has given his affection to us. I am, fortunately for him, a softee. I shared my apple with him. He enjoyed it.

I took a break for lunch, and to cool off some before going to work in Beau's pasture. Today, I worked quickly in here, which is unusual as Jack thinks that I am "his" and typically follows me around, presenting himself for scratches, or investigating the wheelbarrow, trying to lift the fork, etc. As I wandered over the hill, looking for my treasures, I was amazed to find that many of the clammy ground cherries had developed fruit in their husks. Clammy ground cherries, while toxic in both plant and unripe fruit, are related to the Chinese Lantern of ornamental gardens, and their ripe fruit can be used in jams or pies. When I first saw them growing this past spring, I had no idea what they were, but the leaf reminded me of a tomato plant, and the flower, a yellow, bell-shaped one with brown center, reminded me of tomatillos. While tomatillos can self-seed up here in Vermont, I could not imagine that any had been grown on this farm considering it had last been used as such back in the 1930's. I had to find my Audubon book of North American Wildflowers to discover what the plants were. According to the book, it is a member of the Nightshade family and related to Jimson Weed (look like wild morning glories) and Horse Nettle. The horses avoid them, as there is plenty of good forage in their pastures. As we can we will be liming the pastures, and this will help to bring down the number of broadleaf weeds that now grow in them. At any rate, I'm not sure that I'll ever harvest the fruit from the ground cherries, as I don't know anyone who knows when they are ripe, or how much sugar they'd need in a pie. Some things in my life will just go undiscovered.

As I made my way down toward the end of the pasture, Jack could stay away no longer, and presented himself to me. He adores scratches. His withers are good, but his favorite spots are his neck and chest. Scratch him there and he sticks his neck out like he was a giraffe, and his upper lip grows into the size of an elephant's trunk. At first, he thought to groom me while I scratched him, but gently I taught him that grooming a human wasn't acceptable. If Glory or Beau is near, he will reach over and groom them. The urge for mutual grooming is that strong! But he refrains from grooming me, though I can see in his eye the desire to. I tell him I am happy to have him just stand by me, and this he will often do. With me, he is polite and gentle. Not that he hasn't nipped me, or tried to. That is how youngsters of the horse world get others to play, by a little nip and a dash away. So, yes, he has snagged me twice when I was distracted, but there is never any aggression from him, and now I am ready for his playful moods and watch his eyes carefully. He is definitely his daddy's boy, as Beau had the same daring glint in his eyes when he wanted to play. When I see that in Jack, and find that scratching will not deter it, I find acceptable ways for him to play with me...often it is my hat. He loves my hat, and will pick it up, shake it, toss it around, and grab it up again. Of course, I tell him he is smart and a good boy when he does this, so he has learned that it is a good way to play with a human. Today, he was content with scratches, though, and quietly being together.

I am so blessed to be able to share my life with these beings. I have learned much, and the joy I have from just being in the same space as they, is hard to express. I would wish that everyone could find such peace and pleasure in their lives.

This morning, we awoke to heavy, humid air. It truly felt as if you could wring water out of it. Heading out for chores, I decided that today I would begin teaching Jack that his dam could go away, and yet come back.

First, I haltered Beau, and took him for a walk. Beau was a dream, although I have not been able to actively work with him much, what with all the work that we needed to do. All we did was walk around the pastures, but the whole time, even with Walker calling to him, and Sage and Red rushing to the fenceline to see him, he stayed focused, calm, and head-down relaxed. I was quite pleased by his behaviour.

By then, Guin had finished picking her pasture and I could use the wheel barrow. The pasture that Beau, Glory, and Jack are in is fairly level near the gate, but rises steeply toward the back. Picking the pooh is no easy task in it, but it must be done. As I tramped up and down the hill, searching for piles and flying gnats (they help you spot those piles!), I had sweat just dripping right off of me! I really wasn't using much energy, but nevertheless, because of the humidity, I was drenched in a matter of moments. It has been such an unusual summer here, with high heat and humidity for most of the time. Last week it felt as if autumn was right around the corner, but now we are back right into the thick of a summer we all wish we had left behind. One would think that, as we complain about our winters, we would rejoice with this heat, but not so; we are just not used to these temperatures and humidity. But don't feel sorry for us! We are storing that heat up in our very bones, to help keep us warm when we face our -20F with windchills!!

By the time I was done with my pasture, Glory had worked her way to grazing near the gate, and the two boys were off being buddies and grazing side-by-side. I haltered Glo and led her to the gate, but OH the boys spied us and gave a run toward us! "Nope," I said to them, "It isn't your turn. Glory and I are going for a walk." I rehooked the gate, and turned to walk with her. Glory was quite happy to get away, she stayed relaxed and focused on me and where we were going, rather than on the cavorting, whinneying, neighing behaviour of the two boys left behind. We also simply walked around the pasture, just as I had done with Beau, and I do believe he figured out what I was doing, because at the half-way point Beau settled down and stopped acting like a foal. Jack, on the other hand, kept tearing up and down the hill, and then back and forth in front of the gate. Not once did Glory call out to Jack. I believe that weaning will be much easier on her than on him, perhaps even a relief!

Once we were back, I gave Jack time to reconnect with Glo, and Beau time to tell her just how beautiful she is and how much he missed her, then I haltered Jack and worked on "walk" and "whoa" inside the pasture. He is such a quick study! This is about the third time that I have used my overly dramatized body language to prepare him for walking and stopping, and he is beginning to anticipate the movements. His reward for good work is neck and wither scratches. Oh, but he does love them!

Welcome to the first entry in our newly created Blog. We hope these entries allow you to gain a better insight into our farm life, and glimpse the horsenalities of the special horses we have. American Curly Horses are hypoallergenic, and that is why we have them, as I am allergic to "regular" horses. We purchased our first two horses, Walker and Beau, back in 2001, and the horse way of life has become our lives. Presently we have, not only Walker and Beau, but Glory and Red as our adult horses, Sage (from a mating of Walker and Beau) who is 22 months old, and Jack (from a mating of Glory and Beau) who is just 3 months old.

We moved to this farm in Marshfield just 11 months ago, and this first year has been difficult, with so much that needed to be done. As we move into Autumn, there is still more work, but we have accomplished so much! Our house is as completed as needs be to be comfortable for winter; the arena, while still without lights, will be stocked with both 1st and 2nd cutting hay; and the horses can easily be rotated among 13 pastures until winter sets in. Left to be done before winter are the creation of the winter paddocks (we had taken the ones down we had last year in order to make them better), and the staining of the house exterior.

As summer ends here we look forward to spending more time with the horses rather than for the horses. The seasonal changes will bring crisper mornings, and the smells of the land going to sleep for the winter. We'll experience some rain, shifting from the still warmer summer rains to the colder ones of autumn; and some brilliantly bright days with crystal blue skies. The horses, sensing this change, and the lesser hours of daylight, will begin to grow their thicker, curly coats. This year, with Jack entering his first winter, will be more exciting as we learn what type of curls he will develop. And the cooler weather will bring friskier movements as the horses keep their personal furnaces going.

We hope you check back often to hear what is happening here, and to learn about the changes we experience.