Ready for some really cute pictures of baby goat kids?

After Mildred the goat came home safely, she waited two days and gave birth to twin goat kids.  We went to visit them this weekend and almost couldn't leave!

THEY ARE GORGEOUS.  They are pretty like their mother and woolly like their father.

Here's me cuddling one of them.  

AAARRRRGGGGHHH THAT FACE!!!!!

I did not smuggle a goat kid home under my jacket.  

Here's Ivan Erlis soaking up the sun.  Clearly he believes in his natural good looks again now that his lovely ringlets are growing back.  

We didn't get a picture of Beatrice but I can tell you, she looks like she's got at least three good sized goats inside her.  Let's hope that goes well!  Imagine all those goats staying in our barn over winter... !

I love my job!

Now that riding season is in full swing, I am reminded daily how lucky I am to be doing this.  My riders are wonderful unique and interesting people, and I get to spend hours every day with my awesome horses.  I'm in the great outdoors (even if some days I wish I weren't!) and doing the kind of physical work that makes a person tired at the end of a day in a good healthy way.  I have the opportunity to share my love of horses with people who appreciate them.  For me, this is the best job in the world!

MISSING GOAT - found safe and returned home!

Mildred, one of the pygmy goats who spent the winter here, was stolen from her pen at a small property on Saturday night.  It was deliberate act, because the fence was broken down.

Well, after the local news ran a story, her owners were contacted and Mildred came home.

Somebody thought it would be funny to steal a goat, take her to a town down the road, and chain her to a tree with a sign saying "free lawnmower."

Okay, as much as I'm relieved that she's safe and unharmed, especially since she is days away from birthing a goat kid... what the heck?  Is that a joke?  I'm not laughing!  I know how attached that goat is to her little herd.  And, you know, pregnant.

I could get very worked up about this but I'm just happy that she's home again, and nothing bad happened.  I cried a little when I watched the report on the news.  The camera got a shot of Ivan bleating and of course the editor cued it up with the reporter mentioning that the other two goats have been distressed since Mildred's disappearance.  I've gotten very attached to these wonderful little animals.

Is it no longer socially unacceptable to steal critters?  If so, can we make it very uncool again?

Are you ready for perfect riding weather?

As I write this, I've been enjoying a week of absolutely gorgeous weather.  The temperature has been in the 20s, with sunshine and a gentle breeze.  It's not too hot, the mud has been drying up, and I feel like it could stay like this forever (although I do love a dip in the pool after a ride on a hot summer day!)

The horses are beginning to look sleek and shiny, but there's still a lot of horse hair flying.  I encourage my young riders to learn how to run the washing machine and vacuum the car! It's part of being a horse person.

Looking forward to summer
If you got my newsletter at your last lesson, you'll know that I mentioned the possibility of summer camp and other programs.  If I run a summer camp, it will be all horse related but not specifically riding.    I will let you know when/if I get it figured out.  However I'm definitely going to do a "ride morning" a few days each week throughout summer holidays.

These will probably be two riders, starting at 9am and going until noon.  There will be time to tack up and the ride will be more than an hour, with time after to cool out the horses.  Again, I'll update when I get the details straightened out.

The funny farm
The three goats, Beatrice, Mildred, and Ivan Erlis, are still here for another couple weeks until their owners move them to their summer home.  I'll miss them!  They've been excellent guests (the goats and the people!) and I hope to see them again next winter.  The barn won't be empty though; the hens arrived last week, twenty Rhode Island Reds, and I'm really enjoying them.  They're quite comical.  The horses aren't so happy with them, but I do think it's good for horses to get used to different things.  They learned to like the goats and I'm optimistic that the chickens will grow on them too.

Time off
In mid-May, Copper will be taking a week off after eye surgery.  She has to have a part of her inner eyelid removed to prevent a tumour from growing.  Tumours are common in horses with pink skin, and being an Appaloosa with speckles, she has a lot of pink skin on her face.  We're expecting her to fully recover, and her eyesight won't be affected at all. The week off is just to be sure that she's all healed up.  If I know Copper (and I do, very well!) she will be happy to get busy again as soon as possible!

Schedule
Please let me know if you want a specific day of the week for your lesson, and I will try to accommodate that. I like to be flexible with scheduling because I know how busy life can get.  If you have to cancel, just try to let me know in enough time that I can contact somebody else to take that spot.

Contact
Do I have all your contact information?  Over the next few months I'll be attempting to get organized with this.



That's all for now... I am going to go saddle up a horse and enjoy this beautiful day!