The feel of spring on a cold March Morning

Isn't it great to wake up to day light earlier in the morning-that is until the clocks spring forward and we are back to dark at six a.m. On the other side of the day we begin to have longer evening hours of daylight to be outside and work with the horses.

The past few days have been some of the coldest all winter. Teens in the daytime, single numbers at night and extreme wind chill factors. But- Through it all, there was the spring warmth that shone through. There is something about that optomistic spring warmth that is there lurking that makes going out easier. I ran out this morning at a mere five degrees, with a "spring" in my step and less winter duds, to run the water in the tub. It felt so good. Of course Mr. sun is lurking right behind the clouds and in minutes he peeks out to warm us at an earlier hour of the day.

"Amazing Grace" after a long, cold winter!

Charlie, The Beagle

Beagles have never been noted for their herding instincts, but let me tell you, my guy Charlie, is best friend to my sheep.Charlie, now about to turn twelve this summer, keeps active on look out for preditors. My sheep start to travel off to pasture and Charlie runs to catch up and goes before them. He often sits on knoll above them looking around. It is like he sits on watch and looks everything over to see if it is alright, and then he comes back to the house. He often sleeps out with them at night. In the winter he will sleep on top of them. He cuddles himself down into the fuzzy, warm back and you will find him there come morning.There are many coyetes surrounding my property. They howl in packs and come quite close. Charlie goes immediately on alert and keeps them at bay by barking. I believe they would be right in my yard if not for Charlies' warning bark.Charlie is from Timberswamp bloodlines bred by my father-in-law. He comes down from the field trial winner, Timberswamp Tommy. I wanted to keep this bloodline, so I crossed Charlie with a miniature, blue tick female and now have a pair of the most beautiful pups. The youngest male, Albert, seems to be watching his father and I see he goes to the sheep and sits. Last winter, one cold sunny day, I found him laying on one of the sheep. He was so comfortable he just relaxed to the point he was hanging off. Charlies' sister also would sleep with the sheep. She used to herd baby goats back to the barn if they would sneak out the door. Charlie is the best dog I have ever owned. He has a happy personality, comes for attention, but never stays long, and goes about his business never underfoot. He likes to go with us when we go on trail rides. I think this is way of keeping watch over all of us here at ON A WING AND A PRAYER FARM!

Dolly the Miniature Horse, all love and kisses

Back a few years ago, my daughter and I decided to purchase a miniature horse. We had in mind using her for a therapy horse and doing some driving with her. We were at an auction and they had two black mares that just came in. No one bid on them at the auction and we left there with our hearts thinking about them. They were so beautiful. One had a white spot on the very end of her withers where the mane stops. They other was solid color. A few days later I saw the auctioneer and asked if he still had them. He said he sold one of them, but still had the other. I told him I wanted her. So we arranged for pickup at the barn. I took my pickup with a box we had built for sheep and goats on the back.We were so excited to see if we got the one with the spot, and sure enough to our delight! She was so beautiful with her black, shiny coat. This little mare is 31 inches tall and she fit in the box nicely, so she got loaded by three of us picking her up and putting her in the box. We were so excited to get her home, but hungry so we stopped at McDonald's to grab a quick lunch. When we left the truck and walked toward the restaurant, the little mare let out a large whinny. People exiting Mickey D's were looking around for a horse trailer or horses in a pasture to no avail. I walked by and said "don't look at us". Then we laughed to ourselves as no one would know we had a horse with us, because most certainly would not fit in that box! This little mare was a doll, so we call her Dolly. It fits her so well.

Dakota, The Pinto Foal

Dakota was born on the coldest night of the year, January 18, 2003. It was 18 below zero and I had checked his mom at nine p.m. and she seemed fine. I had been watching her close and it was difficult, as she was having her first foal, to really know what was going on with her. I went out at ll:45 and she met me at the gate and I looked at her and thought oh no, and in the corner of the stall I could see movement. To my sigh of relief, here stood the most vivacious baby. He was totally dry except for the tips of his ears. It was so cold and they were a bit curled, so I kept trying to warm them with my fingers and get them to dry out. I covered his ears with a scarf. Of course it was hard to keep it in place, The weather was below zero for three days. I made "Cody" as we call him, wool hats and leg wraps as it was so cold, and he wore two blankets. His mom was very smart and took him out side to be in the sun during the day. It was much warmer than the barn! Cody did very well and grew so well all winter. He did loose the tips of his ears, but from experience in the dairy industry, I know the initial damage was done soon right after birth. that circulation just doesn't get to thin areas such as ear tips. Cody is a very special boy and is my daughters pride and joy. She has great asperations for him and with his pinto markings and those ears just a little short make him the most unusual horse. He is truly a blessing. Cody is a pinto with a partial blue eye and very unique markings. He has a flying bird on his neck on the left and a horse head and body on the right side. With a blaze and a 1/4 blue eye and his slightly short ears, he will be well known for his unique look once he's out on the hunt course!!

Oh What a beautiful Morning!

Crispy snow with is twinkle of light. Sounds like cold weather is settling in for the next few days. Oh, but just look out side. The sun is bright and all is beautiful. Yes, it feels good to be inside, but I love to watch the outside. Our horses play the morning sunshine after the frosty night. Is there a more delightful sight? Not for me. Each day to watch my heard and their beginning of play. One horse nipping at another teasing, tantalizing until the play begins. They run, jump, buck and rear. Sounds of thundering hooves seem even louder with the crunch and cold of the snow.

Sonata, My Dream Come True

I was so excited. Our Arabian Mare, MitMar Dalmaar, was due with the first foal from our Morgan Stallion, Janson of Autumnwood. This was my dream come true, to finally have my first baby from my own breeding. Being a dairy farmer and mating cows for their progeny, It was now my dream to produce a line of horses that I believe have "Sporthorse" potential. Dalmar was in the pasture near the barn all day. I checked her around 9 and when I went out at midnight, she was not near the other horses. I found her in the back corner of the other field. As I called her name over and over, she came towards me talking away, I followed her to her beautiful foal which she had hiding by a small tree. How amazing the knowledge to keep this baby so inconspicuous from the elements. I put my hands on her and hugged her and indelight realized I had a filly, a dream come true. I spent time bonding with the baby and walked them down and settled them in to an area in our yard. I got my 10 year old daughter up in the night to come greet this new baby. It was so awesome to be out in the night with the miracle of new birth and your own child bonding with this creature. The day prior to the birth, My daughter and I were eating in the house and we heard banging. We went running to find Dally cast against the outside wall of the barn. Appearantly she was rolling and got too close to the barn. We finally got her pulled away enough so she could get up. I made up my mind right then, that she would foal in the pasture not in a stall where she could get in trouble. My babies so far have been born either in a huge area in the barn or in the pasture. It only takes a short time for them to get into trouble, and nature calls for the horse to be able to be a horse!

Danson of Wing Farm-Morgan Gelding

Dan as we call him was born two days after 911, September 13, 2001. After feeling pain and suffering for those who lost loved ones, we had new life. He was born about eight o'clock in the morning. I returned from taking my daughter to school to find this little brown guy trying to struggle to his feet. I was so excited, yet upset at myself that I didn't realize what was happening when I left for school. I say his mother go in the barn, but that was not unusuall at that time of day. If I had just gone to look instead of being so stressed about making it on time, my daughter could have seen him being born.

When I was watching Dan struggling to his feet, I noticed a lump on the side of his nose. My first thoughts were that he was malformed. It made me sad, because he was so beautiful. He nursed fine and as time went and he began eating solids, he would eat fine, but the he would work to clean out the food that was stuck in the side of the mouth. I had the vets look at him and we kinda thought this was a life long problem, though he always got the food unstuck by himself, it was not a pretty sight.

As he grew, the lump got smaller. We fugured in the growing process that it might grow out some and be less noticeable. With out thinking about it, the lump went away. At age two, we took Dan to the vets to have him castrated. I asked that his wolf teeth be removed and when the vet pulled is lip back, there was a one inch or better tooth. The tooth on the other side was only about a third the sized. Appearantly that wolf tooth cause the lump and it finally grew down. Nature takes care of its own!

Dan is now six, nearly seven. He is about 14.2 hands round and compact. He is old style Morgan and the most willing and forward horse. We started him slowly. As a three year old, we round penned, saddled and mounted, but left him to mature to four. We rode him a few times that year and then last year he did trail and ring work and he started over cross rails. He gives nicely to the bit and works with his hind quarters.

My daughter is working him now to get ready for Pony Club Dressage Rally. She continues with ring work, ground work to keep his manners in check, and has started ground pole, caveletti and cross rail work today. He jumped a pile of brush beautifully.

It gives such pleasure to see a horse that you raised out working so well. We have put a good foundation on him, let him mature physically and mentally before giving him work to do. This shows in Dan's abilty to perform now as compared to the two and three year old stage.