An introduction to life here must start with an introduction of the animals, and the whole reason we are on a farm is the horses. I thought it would be fitting to start with a brief introduction to each of them, and then I’ll go more into depth about their stories and personalities later on. They bring a lot of work into our lives, a lot of joy, a lot of worries (by me), and a lot of learning. I’ll introduce them in the order that they’ve come into my life, so I have to start with Cole.
Cole
Cole is a character. He’s a black AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association) gelding and one of my oldest friends. He was born in 2000, and I got him in 2003 as a spindly three-year-old with 30 days of professional training. At the time I wanted a new learning experience–bringing along a green horse–and he’s been one of the best decisions of my life. He’s done a little of everything and became a true all-around horse. Sadly now he’s arthritic so he can only do leadline pony rides, but he’s earned that. He will be with us for the rest of his life, and I hope that’s a long, long time.
Hobbes
Hobbes is such an interesting character. He’s what we call an OTTB (off-the-track-thoroughbred)and he’s just a year older than Cole. I got him in 2006 when he flunked out of the Saint Andrews Equestrian Program. He did not care for having different people ride him and he’d gotten pretty sour. I was a graduate and stayed in touch with the program as I ran a camp and used some of the Saint Andrews horses for the summer camps. He definitely was not a camp candidate, and he definitely did come home with me to be my horse instead. He’s become very docile in his older years, but he remains one of the toughest horses I have ever owned. I ended up doing mainly natural horsemanship-type training with him. He loved groundwork, and working at liberty is his real place to shine. If I could go back in time I’d have gotten into some dressage work with him and would have made sure our saddle fit was correct, as he was always a real challenge under tack. We jokingly call him “the third horse” because I told my husband that it’s always nice to have a third horse so that when you take one to the horse show your other one isn’t upset and lonely at home. I don’t think Hobbes has minded being the third horse at all. The joke’s on us.
Maximus
I met our Hanoverian, Max, in 2016 when I had gotten into dressage and was riding out of a barn in Raeford. He was 19 and knew a whole lot more about dressage than I did, and I was grateful to lease him. When my husband Scott and I moved back to our farm I bought him and he came along with us. He means so much to me. He basically introduced me to a sport that I fell in love with. He took me back to horse shows after a long hiatus, and he has always taken care of me. He was the only horse I rode while I was pregnant, and the first horse that my son sat on as a baby. He is now retired, but he’s such a worker bee, he still seemed a little miffed about it. He absolutely loved being the main squeeze for all the attention, even if it did mean having to load on a trailer from time to time.
Doc Hollidonk
I always wanted a mini donkey and could never justify getting one. So when we’d been back here at the farm almost a year we bought one from our neighbor. He had a jack and two jennies and said he definitely didn’t want to keep the jack after he’d gotten the jennies pregnant. So after what seemed like enough time, he came to our place and was immediately gelded. And apparently, he will never have any progeny because neither of the jennies was in foal after the allotted time. He’s a hoot and keeps us laughing. He’s attached himself to Cole, who absolutely hated him at first, but who now screams if he can’t see his donkey. He’s 6 this year and all of the horses love him. They all scramble for their donkey time. There’s really something endearing about a sweet donkey.
Dahlia
It’ll be hard to be brief on this one, but to try to say it succinctly, Dahlia is the queen. She’s a 2011 Oldenburg mare and the fanciest and most spirited horse I’ve yet to own. And I adore her. She was bred for dressage and has so much talent for it. I got her in March of 2020 right before the pandemic kicked off, so I had a lot of time to get to know her while we sheltered in place those first months. I learned that she’s sensitive and complicated but not mean or impossible. She’s a sweet girl, and I’m thankful she decided I’m her person. She’s the first mare I’ve ever owned and we’ve definitely had some ups and downs. I got her when my son was just 6 months old so I wasn’t back to my riding shape yet and she’s helped me get fitter and learn to ride better (we’re still working this one out). Then after a successful first year-and-some-change together, she injured a tendon so I spent the last part of 2021 helping her rehab and get back into shape too. I have high hopes for our partnership and truly love this special mare so much.
Phineas
Phineas is an adorable 2018 grade pony who is becoming a Dressage Sport Pony. I only just got him in the Fall of 2021, and I did something I thought I’d never do–I bought a pony off the Internet! And he’s been the greatest addition! He’d had a great start with a dressage trainer in Wisconsin after she saved him from a kill pen as a yearling. He’s such a cutie, has so much personality, and has a talent for dressage. He’s the greatest little pony I never knew I needed until I saw him on Facebook, and he fits in perfectly. I have a smile permanently plastered on my face whenever I am around him. He’s truly the golden retriever of the herd. There will be much more fun to come with him in this space, I’m sure. Plus I have some of his pictures from the auction as a yearling so it will be fun to share his development from that point onward as well.
So that’s all the equines of the farm to this point. I don’t have enough stalls as it is, so it’s good that I do 24/7 turnout! The next post will be for the dogs.:)
