Real Birdcatcher Spots

Ever heard of birdcatcher spots on a horse? They are random white markings about the size of a dime or quarter that sometimes pop up in a horse's coat. It looks as though a bird has flown over the horse and done its business over the animal.

Dolly looks like she might have some birdcatcher spots, but unfortunately for her, these are real.

The rafters of the old barn are covered in barn swallow nests and when you spend a lot of time cooling off in the old barn, you end up with real birdcatcher spots!

If you look closely at Abby (and know her coat pattern) you can see that she has a couple of the real birdcatcher spots, too.

It's just not as blatantly obvious on her as it is on Dolly.

Finally, here is a cute snap of Two Socks peeking at me from between Abby and her mama. She is growing up so fast!

Thanks, Barn Buddy!

Because I have been ill with COVID symptoms and isolating, I haven't been out to see my girl.

Kelsey decided to do something about that and sent me some very welcome snaps of Abby.

And Sultanna and Hokey!

And Dolly! Does this girl look like she has a fun personality or what?

Like I said...

I am feeling fine now and hope to get out to the barn today before the temperatures plummet into single digits. In the meantime, thank you, Kelsey, for your thoughtfulness and I hope I can return the favor some day.

It is wonderful to have a barn buddy!

BreyerFest and Barn Buddies

Model or real, a lot of horsey things are happening. For those in the model horse world, you are probably getting dizzy as Breyer announces model after model for July's BreyerFest. 

The Celebration Horse (formerly known as the dinner model in BreyerFest's earliest days) is the German Riding Pony, Nikolas. (Photo by Breyer.)

Also revealed are the Event Stablemates, and Breyer has shown collectors a few of the Special Runs

and Limited Edition pieces for the event. (Photos of Stablemates and Montanara by Breyer.)

BreyerFest isn't the only upcoming event that Breyer is sponsoring and talking about. 

BeryerWest is scheduled for February 25 - 27 in Denver, Colorado. Lionel, the 2020 Flagship Store model has had a coat of gloss added and 250 pieces are available. (Photo by Breyer.)

If the model horse news wasn't enough to keep me hopping, there is news at the barn.

I'm going to be seeing a lot more of my across-the-Wabash model horse friend, Kelsey Kramer.

Why? Well, when she came to Happy Trails in October, we went out to the barn to meet the herd. Kelsey fell in love with the place and asked if Tim was accepting new boarders. (Yvonne Rott, Kelsey Kramer, and Jamie Rott.)

He sure was! And Kelsey's mare, Dolly, arrived this weekend. So, now my model horse friend across the river is also my barn buddy! (Photo of Abby and Dolly by Kelsey.)

More to come - stay 'tooned!

Queen Elizabeth, the Sultan of Oman, and Sultanna

When this photo popped up in my Instagram feed yesterday, my thought was, "So THAT'S what the Sultan of Oman looks like!" For several years I've wondered - ever since the barn ended up with a horse named after him.

In 2014 the Sultan flew Tim to Oman so he could inspect the turf on the Sultan's golf course and advise him on pest management. (I call Tim the Canadian Cowboy but he is a highly accomplished entomologist and professor here at Purdue University.)

While Tim was overseas, Dolly, Tim's mare, surprised us all by foaling a month early.

Tim named her Sultanna in honor of his trip abroad and as a nod to the Sultan. Go here to read a little about that.

Tim has bred three foals during the ten years I've been boarding Abby with him, and he has yet to see one foaled.

He was gone when Sultanna's foal, sweet Little Feller, was born (and sadly never saw the foal before he passed away the day after birth.)

And when Snickerdoodle, Sultanna's full brother, was foaled in 2015, he was born at the stable where his dam had been bred, not with us.

Sultanna was bred again last spring. Her second breeding did not take, and we think it may not have taken again - I've witnessed her raising her tail and turning her hips and squealing at Hokey, signs of a mare in heat, not one who is in foal.

At this time, she's not telling if she is or isn't going to present us with a foal this spring. If she does, I hope Tim come up with another great name like hers. And, that he's in town and able to see the newborn foal.

Christmas Card of the Day

When Sultanna was a Baby

With Sultanna's foaling date so close, I went back and looked at blog entries that I had written when she was foaled in 2014. She was a cute little girl!

A two month old Sultanna.

If you're interested in the story of Sultanna's birth, here are some links to read about it. (Her registered name is Sultanna's Surprise, and you'll find out why.)

Her first day. 

When we got things settled the second day (without Tim who was in Oman!)

The first time I got to touch and handle Sultanna.

Dolly and Sultanna in the south paddock.

  Reading those might help pass the time as we wait and wait and wait.

A Name for Dolly's Foal

Dolly's foal is three and a half weeks old and growing fast.

 Another palomino! Just like Sultanna (although she had more red in her coat at this age.) I think he looks really nice.

When Tim found out that Lisa had shown pictures of the colt to her 4th grade class and that the kids had had some name suggestions, he invited Lisa to send him the list.

There are some unusual ones, that's for sure. You can see those 9 year old minds working! Newbery book characters, football teams, candy bars...

Snickerdoodle
Twix
Lucky
Andy
Silverback
Gold Beauty
Star
White Diamond
Ben 
Sam
Billy
Billy Bob
Buddy
Steven
Golden Pony
Milton 
Oreo (as in Vanilla Oreo)
Gold Star
Buttercup
Colts
Jackson
Sean
Winn-Dixie
Reeses
Butterscotch
Steelers

Tim selected the name that Lisa and I both liked best for Dolly's colt...

Snickerdoodle!

Dolly and Snickerdoodle are still out in Williamsport, an hour's drive away, so I have not yet met the baby. And Tim may not bring them home for a while as he is having Dolly bred again. I may just have to take a drive and go see them!

A New Colt!

Dolly gave birth to her second foal this morning, a beautiful colt!

His color reminds me of Sultanna's when she was born last year. I wonder if he will turn into a palomino like her?

No name yet, but I am sure Tim will let me know when that happens.

Welcome, baby boy!

Such a Good Mama & a Name

Dolly may be a first time mom, but she sure is a good one!

Gingersnap now has a real name - Sultana's Surprise. Very fitting considering where Tim was when she was born and the fact that she was a month early!

Sunny Saturday

It was a warm, sunny Saturday, so I took my mother out to meet Gingersnap this morning. Dolly brought her baby right up to the fence as soon as she saw me.

 She has the oddest little spots of red on her chest.

Dolly was quite interested in the candy canes I had in my pocket, to the point where I had some problems getting pictures as she would thrust her nose in front of the camera.

We ran into Tim while we visited the horses. He was very pleased with the baby, and confirmed a couple of things that I had suspected - that Ginger is small and doesn't cavort and run around as much as a new foal should. Certainly part of being born too early. Still, she seems healthy otherwise and is doing well.

"Mom!! She's Touching Me!"

I touched Gingersnap for the first time yesterday!

Since mares can be protective of their babies, I approached Dolly cautiously and with treats in my hand. I love how her foal is watching me, too!

Carefully I reached out my hand. Dolly didn't seem to mind, but you can tell by her ears that Gingersnap is very aware that I am close behind her.

 Contact!

I could feel her muscles bunch under my hand as soon as she felt my touch.

And she quickly moved out of my reach. I didn't follow her or try to touch her again - there's plenty of time to get to know her!

Gingersnap's Second Day

Tim asked me to check on Dolly's baby today, something I was glad to do. Someone had moved mama and daughter to the indoor arena.

Why, hello!

Investigating her environment (including Mom's manure!)

Such a cutie pie!

Surprise in the Stable!

Yesterday Loni surprised me with this picture of Dolly's foal, a foal who is nearly a month early!

Isn't she cute? And such an unusual color - red dun? A silver gene manifesting itself? That red mane with the lighter coat color is unusual.

Apparently, Dolly gave birth out in the pasture yesterday afternoon and Alice Louks (who lives by the old barn) saw the foal and called Loni in a panic to let her know the baby had been born.

Napping in the shelter of mama's legs.

I love this shot of her just after she's nursed.

Tim's out of town - in Oman meeting with the Sultan of Oman as part of his work as an entymologist. He wasn't expecting a foal to arrive while he was gone, so it was a bit of a scramble around the barn yesterday afternoon.

Brandon Keene and Travis Horton rounded up Dolly and her baby and got them into the new barn and a clean stall, away from the other horses and the colder weather that had returned.

I can't wait to hear what Tim names her. In the meantime, I am calling her Gingersnap due to that red color.

Lisa and Dolly

When I was dropping off sandwiches at church tonight for the Lafayette Urban Ministry soup kitchen, I ran into Tim who was there doing temple recommend interviews. He mentioned that Dolly had gotten hard to catch and, knowing Lisa's fondness for Dolly, suggested she work with her during her visits to the barn, perhaps by putting a lead rope around Dolly's neck before giving her a carrot.

Lisa was more than happy to oblige!

I love this picture of Lisa surrounded by Diablo, Trouble, Persuasion, and Hokey as she works with Dolly. (That's Abby and Mason in the front of the photo.)

 She leads Dolly around and handles her for a while as Tim asked.

 Dolly is fond of Lisa and follows her to the gate after their training session is over.

Is She or Isn't She?

Is Dolly in foal or not? She would be due in late summer, so I would think she might begin showing her pregnancy soon.

On the other hand, she's a maiden mare, so she may not show for a while.

Tim says she hasn't come into heat since she was bred, so that's a good sign.

Time will tell!

Ouch! My Nose!

As soon as I arrived at the barn tonight, the heads popped up and everyone made a beeline from the old barn up to the trough, hoping for a handout. Abby, of course, got the most treats.

As I was parceling them out among all those stretched out noses, I noticed poor Dolly had had an accident.

It's not a bad injury; nevertheless I took this picture and texted Tim so he could check her. She probably banged her nose against a fence post or something.

It certainly didn't keep her from begging for more sugar cubes!

The Girls

The girls of the herd have banded together this winter and are nearly always together.

 Diablo (19), Abby (13), and Dolly (5).

 Abby leans against Diablo briefly as they wait for some treats from me.

 Diablo is the herd alpha. Shortly after this picture was snapped, she chased Mason (in the background) off for coming too closely to me. You can see that her ears are pinned in warning to him to stay back.

 She also seems to have picked up Abby's knack for sticking out her tongue.

 You know, like this!

Diablo may be the herd alpha, but to my surprise, she tolerates it when Abby, wanting me (or rather, my treats) all to herself, pins her ears and chases her off.

 Diablo never goes too far when that happens, and any crankiness from the dust-up fades quickly.

And soon the gals are chummy again.