Early Morning Horses

 I'm super busy this morning, so this is just a quick post.

Often when they run across horses, my kids will snap a few pictures and then send them on to me. Here are some that I got recently from Kyle. He walks in the morning and these horses are along one of his favorite walks. (It would be one of mine, too!)

It's early morning and the sun is rising behind that mountain. 

Over by the water trough a little later.

Isn't this beautiful mare friendly! And I love the grass hanging out of her mouth. Thanks for sending these to me, Kyle. What a great way to start my day!

Happy Fall!

First Post of the Day

Those who have been reading the blog awhile know that I follow meteorological seasons (January 1, Winter begins; March 1, Spring begins; June 1, Summer begins, and September 1, Fall begins.)

This morning I have a pumpkin candle lit here on my desk and it is sending the smell of Fall into my office. Today I plan to switch out my Summer door mat and wreath at the front door for ones for Fall. I will also change the pillows on the park bench for ones celebrating the new season.

This is my favorite time of the year, and bow howdy, it sure feels like Fall here in western Indiana. False Fall continues and I am wearing sweaters and even put an extra blanket on the bed last night!

One of the old apple trees up where the farmhouse used to be has dropped its apples. Tim went around and picked most of them up - otherwise the horses would stand under that tree and gorge themselves. There's a bucket of them near one of the gates and I offer each horse a couple when I check the barn.

I love the early Fall sounds in this video from yesterday - the crickets, the breeze, the sound of the horses' legs swishing through the grass...

After nibbling on the apples, they ambled down to the trough and drank some fresh water. 

What is it about those sounds of horses out to pasture? It makes me feel relaxed and peaceful inside, and as though I could stand outside with them all day. Maybe I just will!

Happy Fall, ya'll!

Horses at Ouiatenon

I never planned to write a five post series about historic tack when I wrote about Leslie's two side saddles;  it was to be a one and done. And I still plan to get back to the 27 post Collections within My Collection series that I'd begun just prior to that.

But I'm a teacher, and the teacher in me kept thinking that people really ought to see those side saddles. 

I do go into Lisa's school every year just before the Feast and teach about Fort Ouiatenon and its history. I could bring the saddles to that. 

But that's only a small group of children who would see them. I think a well preserved 300 year old saddle is pretty cool and should be seen by a bigger audience.

And then it hit me. School Days at The Feast of the Hunters' Moon.

Every Friday of Feast weekend, yellow buses roll onto the grounds early in the morning.

Thousands of kids from around the state come spend the day at Fort Ouiatenon to learn about life in the 18th century.

Teacher Daughter Lisa is one of those teachers who brings her class every year.

In fact, all the 4th grade teachers and their students from her building come, too.

Normally, I don't do anything on School Day - I'm a sutler and School Day is supposed to be a teaching day, not a sales day. I have not had anything to teach about that wasn't heavily connected to also selling it.

But this is different - I could set up a display with Leslie's side saddles, our 18th century riding habits, and some other touchable items like bits and things, and then talk about the role horses played at Fort Ouiatenon!

Leslie is on board and, since she is no longer in charge of the event, able to (and very interested in) helping me. 

We don't know yet if we could borrow some of the artifacts that have been discovered during excavations at Fort Ouiatenon, but we could still display photos of them.

A partial stirrup iron, pieces from two bits, and maybe a partial oxen shoe?

Another part of a bit.

Broken chess pieces including the horse head from a knight.

Since I begin setting up my tent on Wednesday, I'd have plenty of time to get that done. Then I could partition the tent in two by hanging block print fabrics with the sales tables hidden behind them and the horses display in the front.

I've already registered to be a sutler again this year and I'd have to go back and fill out the School Days form to participate, but that wouldn't be hard. 

The ideas are coming fast and furiously in my mind as I think about this. I will see Brooke (Feast Director) this week at the Feast Sewing Circle and I plan to run the idea by her. If she says it's a go, I'll get started on more formal plans.

Stay 'tooned and cross your fingers for me. 

A Gentle Introduction to Horses

Know someone, adult or child, who's never met or touched a horse before?  

Want to make sure they have a good experience when they do?

Bring them out to meet Abby, Sultanna, and Hokey. 

That was the case with Frank and Eva - neither one had ever been around a horse before.

And those horses were so gentle and very interested in getting to know them.

 

Frank and Eva's introduction to horses could not have gone better.

Even when Sultanna decided that she really, really, REALLY liked that pompom on Eva's hat.

 

and Hokey took an interest in the hood of her coat

giving her the giggles when his nose slid down her back.

It was a lovely experience and we spent a lot of time with the horses, handing out treats, and petting and brushing them.

I've seen it before when horses sense that someone is unsure and hesitant and then are extra gentle and careful with that person.

That played out right there in the pasture Friday morning. 

It was while Frank was taking some photos of Eva and me with the horses

 that I noticed that Sultanna seemed to want to connect with Eva.

She kept her attention on Eva

and remained at the gate, watching her walk back to the car as we got ready to leave.

I had Eva turn around and look back at Sultanna, explaining that I could tell that she had really liked having her visit and clearly would've enjoyed more time with her.

Today our family is going to be doing eclipse activities and then watch the Purdue/UConn game for the NCAA championship. We won't have time to go to the barn. Maybe we will get a chance on Tuesday before they head back to North Carolina.

I hope so, and not only for Frank and Eva's sake but for Sultanna's, too.

GLC and Pony Pics!

I learned yesterday that a lot of you follow the links that I post. How? Because my phone began going off with notifications from readers telling me that one of the links in the Indy Blooms post was to last year's show. The link has been corrected, my phone has quit going off, and thank you to all who let me know!

Today is the first show of the year for the Great Lakes Congress folks. Sadly, I am here at home. I rarely go to the February show - too often there is ice and snow, either here or in the Chicago area, and I don't like to drive (or walk) on ice. So naturally, the roads where I live are dry. 

Barn Buddy Kelsey is judging, so maybe she will have some time to share some photos. She's really good about that but I admit, I am still sad to not be there.

Speaking of sharing photos, though, Kelsey did share some of the herd recently. This is her mare, Dolly. Isn't she beautiful?

I love this one of Sultanna and Two Socks!

She's only 9 months old and already Two Socks is about Abby's height! (Wonder who knocked those bars down?)

Hokey is wintering well, just like the rest of the horses. And look at that straight roof line! Tim did such a good job on replacing the foundation of the barn and repairing the rest of it.

Here's a comparison picture - see that bowing roof and the splayed doorways? So much better!

I will get back to the shows in Indiana tomorrow; two shows are in the process of sending me information and I'd like to have that before I write about their shows.

Stay 'tooned!

Christmas Visit to the Horses

Like she did for the 4th of July family get together, Vanessa has made a video of our family Christmas. To see our visit with the horses, fast forward to 1:41. At the very end of the horse section, Lukie has gone back to see Abby by himself and is standing on the gate calling to her. (That may be my favorite part of the entire Christmas video!) Enjoy!

Dad's Slides - Winter Horse Work

It was 93 degrees yesterday and temperatures did not cool off until after 9:00 PM. I was hibernating inside as I looked through some of my Dad's old photos. This one gave me pause and made me smile.

That's my first horse trailer after we received 19 inches of snow! Look behind the telephone pole and you can see the Wabash River. As soon as that heavy snow began to melt, that river would rise and flood the road making it so that we were unable to leave home.

Having our home high up on the moraine protected us from the floodwaters, but getting up the driveway in the winter was a bear. 

We'd get as far as we could, then stop and hike the rest of the way up to the house. 

There was no running water down to the pastures. That wasn't a problem in the spring, summer and fall - I'd just run a hose down to the troughs to fill them up. But in the winter, I filled buckets from the spigot in the garage and carried that water down the moraine. More than once I slipped on the icy path and spilled the buckets. Which, of course, made the hike down to the pastures even more hazardous because that water froze on the path.

See that line across the snow in our front pasture? Those are my tracks. Not only did I have our horses to care for, I looked after the neighbor's horses and donkey who were down the road a ways. I remember slogging through that heavy, wet snow in the pasture as I hiked down to their barn and back.

I look back now and remember how hard some of those winter days were. I remember the bruises from falling while carrying water buckets, the complete changes of clothes that I had to do before catching the school bus, and shivering in the cold while tossing hay to the horses. It was hard work.

But, it was also horse work. And that was what I loved. 

Tomorrow I'll share about the horses and donkey down the road.

Name Change?

While we were visiting Jessica and her family in Santaquin, Utah, I started wondering if Pony Pal Cambria really should have a different name.

 Perhaps, Unicorn Girl?

 After all, Cambria has a unicorn necklace, bracelet, and earrings that she wears ALL the time.

And, thanks to hobbyist Cristine Holt, a unicorn purse that goes everywhere with her. (Even to bed.)

But, I still see the pony pal in her.

Cambria absolutely could not resist the barrel of stick ponies (not unicorns; PONIES) that she saw while we were visiting a farm together, unicorn purse notwithstanding.

And despite the enormous size of the Percherons, she tried to get as close to them as she could before the handler brought Riggs out for us to visit.

 You can just see the excitement on her face at being in the barn with him.

And Cambria was bold enough to help me give Riggs a good scritch on his chest.

No, I think I will wait and see how things shake out before changing Pony Pal's name to Unicorn Girl!

A Grooming Session

T-Bone and Casper are so gentle that we let the kids (all under six) groom them during our visit.

Pony Pal Cambria and Tara's daughter were so excited to get started that they began climbing the fence to get to the horses!

 Once Tara had the horses haltered and tied, the kiddos all grabbed a brush or curry comb

 and the groom-fest began.

 Cambria was just a little too short to get that muddy patch on Casper's hip.

 Her shoulder was much more accessible. 

 Cris, Casper, and T-Bone.

Tara works on T-Bone's legs.

I did a little grooming work on both horses, but mostly I just enjoyed watching the kids and horses interact. It is good to see another generation growing up with a love for horses.