Red Pony Farm: A journey in motion

My New Red Pony

His name is Hot Spot. He is 11 years old. He is an endurance horse. Started his career at age 6. He has completed 5, 100 mile races, finishing in first place at the Spook Run ride in 2007 and taking the award for Best Condition that day. I witnessed a 100 mile completion in 2005 that was never official because he tripped in the last 1/4 mile before the finish and couldn't walk out of it in the extra 20 minutes the vets gave to try to ice it and massage it away. So heart breaking (that would have made 6 total).

I have admired this guy for several years. He came in 2nd on the Vermont 100 last year when I crewed for him. He is retiring after Saturday. He has had some stomach problems and just couldn't stay hydrated Saturday. He recovered after his 30 minutes in the second hold but his rider pulled him when he didn't feel quite right after a couple of miles out of the hold. He is coming to RPF to begin a less demanding new career as a pleasure trail horse.

I can't tell you how excited and honored I am!! I snapped this photo of him after they trailered him back to ridecamp. I had just asked him if he wanted to come retire at RPF and play in the woods with Lucy. I think he liked the idea immensely.

Yesterday We Had Hail

I watched the radar map at noaa.gov every chance I got between meetingsand testing. I noticed at 2:30 the yellow outline of a  "servere weather box" over Lythos. I called Dan. He was fairly confident that things would hold up. I was ready to go into a panic, but I had important meeting all afternoon so I had no time for it.

This is what I found returning at 6:00:

The retension pond at the foot of lythos, which is 1/2 filled in with sand again, also had 3 inches of hail stones in it. (BOY I can't wait till we can get the seeding finished!!! I hope we get permission to do repairs. Dan will find out today.) But also there was several inches of ice balls.

We got a bunch of rain too.

Icy cold rain! But all the sand stayed on our side of the road! Yippee! It's working, and it will be very efficient when we can get it FINISHED.

The horses were not frazzled, but quietly munching their now rather soggy brand new fresh green round bales.

There was a mourning dove sitting under the bird feeder. It took flight suddenly when the camera flash went off and this was all I got:

Annabelle is Not Retiring After All

Annabelle Has responded very well to whatever treatment they gave her and has gone back to work at Broad Park in New Gloucester in the community riding program.

I'm happy that she is well and working. They really think she is special and that made me very happy indeed!

Fence Lines

I have been cutting fence line. I am working to get ponies on more greenery. The front side of the hill is covered in rather tall maple and oak shoots that are growing up from around a lot of big old stumps where they harvested before we bought the property. There is quite a bit of grass in there too. All those greenies just waiting to be devoured, and a pile of ponies waiting to do it. I have cut about 1500 feet so far I think. And I am ready to start sinking t-posts (where there are no trees)and screwing in fence hangers to trees, and stringing it off this weekend. I'm pretty pleased about that. There are some areas that are pretty heavily trodden and pooped upon by now and need to rest and grow Grass. Horse poop is working great at growing grass from the acrid soil where we've removed all the pine. It could use some more lime and seed too but it's coming. Maybe I'll get some photos taken this week for you.

Guess Who's COMING HOME?

The original Red Pony. My A #1 trail pony. My friend. The love of Willie's life. The one, the only, Annabelle aka Anabellina, Penelope Jane, Miss Grump.

Here she is back in 2003 teaching Cassy to ride.

I sent her to Broad Park Equestrian Center, part of the Pine Land Farm complex in New Gloucester, when we were paying two mortgages. Broad Park is where they have the community riding program. The horses there are given exceptional care. Large comfy boxes and lush fields. Annabelle has been a lesson pony there. I stopped in to see her today. It's  been a while since I'd seen her. She looked great. She's 22 now. She had a couple of weeks off due to some swelling in a tendon. They are thinking it may be time for her to retire. I am so excited that she will be coming back home! Red Pony Farm will have it's red pony again.

Spent the Day OUTSIDE!

Dan Started processing next years heating source this week. I love this picture. I think it's going to be my screen saver for the next little while.

I cannot believe how much snow has melted this week. It was only 12 days ago that I was shoveling through a foot of snow up on the peak to get to the last small tarpped pile of split wood. Next year we will have a real wood shed. That will feel so civilized!

The grass has barely begun to pull its leaves away from the thawing ground and reach toward the sun, on this first day of the temps climbing all the way to 60 degrees. I was astonished when Dan found this little plant shoving blossoms up from the so recently frozen earth! I waited a few hours and sure enough the blossom began to open.

Just LOOK at all the bare ground. Note panting dog next to the burn pile!

I made a sort of temporary fence around the arena yesterday with  capped T-posts. I still am not sure about the shed placements and don't want to plant the wood posts quite yet. There will be pictures of the first day of playing in the arena with the horses by end of day today!!!

Spring is Really Here

The Ponies had visitors this weekend. Note the bare ground.

It was windy and chilly on Lithos Sunday. Note frozen fake smiles (AND BARE GROUND).

AND, there is approximately zero inches of frost in the ground under that heavy coat of snow it's been wearing, so the Robins are finding some worms to eat. Note the fat breast.

Large Equestrian Center in Hollis --US? NOT Quite!

No people, THERE IS NO COVERED ARENA on top of the hill, just out of sight where you can't see it from DeerWander Road. There isn't even a BARN YET!

The folks who are selling home package deals next to us, but down the hill, are advertising as being next to a new Equestrian facility with an indoor arena. One of my boarders who is house shopping just got it described to her yesterday. She laughed out load when she finally figured out they were talking about us!

This is rather embarrassing. Indeed we are scarcely more than a camp site carved hurriedly out of the woods, with Dan's humongous junk important tools and inventory pile of stuff that belongs in the shop building--the big project that is halting progression on the farm. It's bad enough that the place looks like it does! BUT Now I know there are folks driving by looking for an Equestrian Center! Sales People are the worst!

They could at least drive over and see what they are talking about. I know there's that scary driveway--So OK go to the redponyfarm.net site--I think I used the term Camp Site there too.

I do have my vision. I believe I will one day create something worthy of mention. But I sure don't want anyone to think that "this is it".  We are working out of pocket now, so it makes it slower going. I must at least replace my silly old, now hanging sideways sign with an "Excuse the mess Please" "Coming in 2011" sort of thing! I'll get that done this weekend! maybe this is just what I needed to light a fire under my butt!

Lucy Grace has a New Buddy

I put Lucy in with Smidge yesterday. They were both very happy.

There was some very exuberant leaping and buckings from Miss Smidgen as she hurried to keep up with Lucy as she floated in that lovely trot of hers, round and and round the labyrinth of paths the pony has created in her paddock.

This may look like a kiss. Trust me it is not a kiss. Smidge did not want Willie near her new companion.

Things got a little too rambunctious for my nerves at the fence line. I wish the electricity in the fence wasn't diminished in the winter when the horses are insulated by the snow they walk on! There is just enough to keep them contained when they aren't wound up. But during times like yesterday I think it wouldn't have been nearly enough. So Willie got pushed back 25 feet and the other divider fence went back up forming an alleyway between the two paddocks.

Winter is hanging on

Still nearly 2 feet of snow on the arena. We have had a couple of good rains but with the temps staying at ~30 degrees F each time it doesn't take much snow with it. It gets cold enough at night to make the snow solid enough to walk on. Some days, like the last time I had to drag the hoses out to water it get warm enough to soften up so that I sink to my knees or higher in some spots.