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!

Upcoming Price Increase

As of May 1st, the price of lessons will increase.

One hour private lesson will be $40.00

One hour semi-private will be $30.00

(Smiles are still free!)

Looking forward to Spring, the good and the bad.

Although the calendar says it's Spring, it very much looks and feels like Winter!  I can tell the season is changing though, because there's more daylight and the horses have been shedding for a few weeks. Apparently it's the lengthening of daylight that signals the winter coats to shed.  This would explain why they're losing hair despite the cold temperatures hanging on.  I've also noticed that they're not consuming quite as much hay as they were in the coldest months this winter, so there's proof that it has been a couple degrees warmer, despite me whining and complaining about being cold!

So here are a few things to keep in mind when you come out to ride with me:

- warm means thaw and that means MUD.  Only it's not just mud.  I strive to keep the corral clear of manure all summer, but over winter when the horses are confined to the corral, the manure does build up.  Until I can get in there with a tractor to do a big clean out, we'll have to step carefully and just accept that, well... manure happens.

- I've got a "boot brush" nailed to the fence post just beside the gate.  Give your boots a little scrub on your way out.

- Continue to wear layers - it's still cold, but you can always take off the outer layer if it gets warmer.

- HORSE HAIR.  This is going to be a thing for the next month at least!  Wear fabrics that hair slides off of, such as windbreaker jackets.  Anything made of polar fleece will be coated with hair in seconds and it does not come off easily!

- I'm encouraging young riders to learn how to use a washing machine.  Being a horse person means doing laundry.  This time of year really proves that!

- Hanging around in the barnyard can be hard on your car -- consider some newspapers on the floor mats and old sheets on the seats to keep your car from getting too dirty.

- Remember that rain doesn't have to mean cancelled lessons; you always have the option of indoor unmounted topics.  If you figure you've covered most of that and really want to get riding, we can reschedule.  My calendar still allows for plenty of flexibility.

I'm really proud of you hardy little souls who've stuck with it all winter!  This has been a harsh winter and honestly, I haven't ridden much.  By the time I've spent a few hours cleaning the barn, putting out hay and taking care of the horses, I don't feel like braving the cold wind to go ride. You guys are good stuff.  Thanks for not laughing at me in my layers of thermal coveralls and barn coats and hats and hoods!

I'm also looking forward to seeing all of you who've taken the winter off!  I can't wait to show off all the work we've done in the barn to make it a nicer place to work.

Here's hoping Spring 2013 is pleasant and until then, stay warm!

March Break

You might be wondering if I'm open for business this week, what with all the rain and mud.  The answer is - yes!  I can be flexible on short notice, so if the weather clears up and you want a lesson, feel free to contact me and I'll see what I can do.

As usual I can do unmounted lessons as well, if you just need a horse fix.

(Be sure to wear boots that can withstand the muck in my barnyard and clothes that are easily washable... spring isn't very pretty around here yet!)