Muddy March Madness Makes Horse People Dirty

This was the farm just 2 weeks ago. Six-foot high piles of snow everywhere. Then the winter thaw began. The snow is not really gone - it's just changed form - and now it's all MUD!

Everything is muddy. We're sinking as we walk.

But that means spring is well on her way, although we're sure to get just one more snowfall this year.

The horses are aching to go outside. They've been confined most of the winter to stalls, the arena or paddocks although they do love turnout in snowy pastures. But mud presents a different problem. They will sink up to their knees in pure, solid clay-like Ohio mud in March. So we've had to wait a few days to turn the horses out. Horses do like mud - so much that they delight in rolling in the stuff, some covering both sides of their body, some only one side. And it's hell to get it off of them - we must wait until the mud dries. But Horse People delight in this task! We are prepared with all sorts of grooming tools - curries, shedders, scrapers, mane and tail detanglers. It's a messy job, but Horse People have to do it! Getting dried mud off of a horse takes muscle and tireless circular motions with both arms as we attempt "the clean up". Dirt, dust and shedding hair is everywhere. This job is not for "clean freaks". We inhale all the dust, get dirt in our hair and under our fingernails. Clothing is caked with mud. You can't wear gloves either - you need your fingers. Technically, you cannot officially call yourself a horse lover until you've willingly engaged in this task.

Muddy March signals the approaching end of winter. I'm beginning to thaw out myself and there's alot to do this year at the farm. We're still bringing in hay, unloading it and stacking it ourselves. Most importantly, Muddy March means foaling season is right around the corner. Talk about madness - we're expecting 6 foals this year!

Our first mare to foal is Serrenada, sired by the Palas son *Efort and out of the imported Polish mare *Sierra Nevada by Aloes. Take a look at the baby bump! She's due April 18. I don't think she'll last that long! Serrenada is in foal to Park Horse and Halter Champion PS AfireChief. We bred her AI and we are hoping for a bay filly. Since Serrenada is a flea-bitten grey, she should produce bay color even though in Arabians, grey is the dominant color. PS Afire Chief is by Afire Bey V and out of the Chief Justice daughter Justa Glow. Chief Justice was one of my favorite *Bask sons. We consider Serrenada our best trotting mare and are anxious to bring this new blood into our herd. This will be her second foal. She gave us a nice colt in 2007 by our stallion *Etyk (Eldon x Etnografia by Aloes) and she foaled two weeks early. We're watching her closely, because broodmares are sneaky! Serrenada's friend Hennah, our *Wojslaw daughter out of Fifinellla by Probat, is due on the same day. I'll be telling you about the sire of Hennah's foal in my next post! But the best, most exclusive news is that we have acquired the great stallion Monopolii, full brother of world champion sire Monogramm!! Sired by Negatraz and out of the million dollar mare Monogramma, high-trotting Monopolii settled three mares for us last year at the age of 23!

Winter On Our Horse Farm Is For The Birds

(Pictured: Mares enjoying their snowy pasture.)




The year 2009 was a big emotional blur for us with unbelievable highs and sorrowful lows, but Jack and I plowed through the remaining months of 2009 with a determination that 2010 would bring a more peaceful balance into our lives.

For me, the year always ends in my mind with the first major snowfall, a signal from nature that it is now time to rest from the frenzied activities of spring, summer and fall.

Spring 2009 opened with construction of a new apartment above our show barn that would serve as a guest house, although I'm secretly lobbying for this space to become my art studio. I went to work immediately on the landscaping and preparation for our first big garden.

(Pictured: The new guest house and future art studio.)

Summer 2009 brought us a handsome new colt, now named Asfaar, and a new world-class stallion, Monopolii (His story derserves an entire article). Jack's sister from Poland made her first trip to the USA at the same time I was leaving the farm to take care of my father who then passed away in August.

(Pictured: The newly renovated broodmare barn)

By the time I returned from Arkansas in September, my garden was overgrown but literally loaded with vegetables. Jack and his sister had been enjoying fresh cucumbers, radishes,broccoli, beans, eggplant, and tomatoes, and the tomato vines were still heavy with fruit. I frantically salvaged all I could from the garden, quickly learned home canning, and proceeded to use everything the garden gave us. The end result was a pantry full of canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, green tomato relish, hot peppers, yellow peppers, spicy tomato juice, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, and beets. I put green beans, yellow beans, swiss chard and spinach in the freezer. The horse manure in the garden paid off! We had volunteer garden plants all over the farm, enough for us and for neighbors and friends.

(Pictured: The last of the 2009 home canning. The yellow gourds came up as a volunteer plant. This one plant produced over 70 gourds!)

In late fall I put the garden to bed for the winter, pruned and fertilized all shrubs, flowers and trees, and removed all my "garden art" pieces in anticipation of winter. Although tired, I realized what a gratifying experience I'd had starting that garden from seeds, nurturing and caring for the plants, harvesting the vegetables, and preparing them to eat. No worries about pesticides, chemicals or country of origin. I loved pushing my cart through the grocery store saying to myself, "No, don't need that...already have these....look at the price on those." I felt very self-reliant. Yes, living life with horses has its perks. It may take a lot of shoveling, but it's well worth the effort!

With the first snowfall of the season, it's now time to relax by our big picture window and rest as the snow lays a peaceful white shroud over our farm. But this snowfall also signals the beginning of another activity - feeding the birds. Over the past two years we've amassed quite a collection of bird feeders and we enjoy the visits of our colorful feathered friends. Now I won't go as far as to say Jack is obsessed with feeding the birds, but every time he comes back from the farm store he proudly shows off another feeder! He fashioned clever platforms for the feeders and found some great clear plastic bowls that he converted to shelters so that each feeder is sheltered from rain and snow.

Horses need more hay during the winter to generate body heat. Within 20 minutes of eating hay, our horses can raise the temperature in the barn by several degrees. That being said, we're short on hay this year and it's the middle of winter. Our work for the year may not be done after all.......