Rural Living: Restoration of an 1843 Greek Revival style home and farm buildings. Equine and canine activities at Laughing Fox Farm...and some human things in there too.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Spring and Summer 2013
Spring and Summer at Laughing Fox Farm 2013
I took these during the spring and summer of 2013
I 
It's a Bear!!!
Our newest canine addition, Bear (bet you though from the title that it was a real bear). He's almost a big as one, 90 pounds of black, curly love. He's a Newfoundland/Labrador cross. His original owner, Melissa Ivey became very allergic to him. She had owned him since he was weeks old, so the departure from him has been a difficult one for her, but his arrival here at the farm has been fun.
Bear is doing quit nicely here now. He is patient, so gets along well with my not so patient females, Duchess and Gracie. He plays well with them, likes to be inside when it's hot, sleeps on his bed beside ours, and generally takes life as it comes. He likes the horses now (not so in the beginning when Maestro charged him and it scared him half to death), and thinks they are simply very big dogs. He tries to get them to play with him, but they mostly look at him as if they are confused by his overtures, probably are.
So please welcome, Bear!
Bear is doing quit nicely here now. He is patient, so gets along well with my not so patient females, Duchess and Gracie. He plays well with them, likes to be inside when it's hot, sleeps on his bed beside ours, and generally takes life as it comes. He likes the horses now (not so in the beginning when Maestro charged him and it scared him half to death), and thinks they are simply very big dogs. He tries to get them to play with him, but they mostly look at him as if they are confused by his overtures, probably are.
So please welcome, Bear!
A Very Busy Summer - Integrating the Herd
The latest change was to add three board wood fencing around a new pasture. I have the original pasture in which the barn is located and now this one. I rotate the horses between the two. The run-in can be accessed from either pasture, and the horses have enough room to stay out of each others way, roam, and graze and still get into the run-in to cool off or stay out of the rain/snow.
As for herd integration: Derby, the alpha, is in love with Tilly, the new mare, Derby was Maestro's best friend until she came. Maestro is not happy with the change, so it's a challenge for Derby keeping Maestro away from Tilly so that Maestro doesn't hurt her. And so that Derby can keep his mare close to his side. I like Maestro, he's a sweet guy, but I am very ready for him to return to the Kressenburg farm from where he came. He is getting aggressive toward Tilly, which makes Derby aggressive toward Maestro, it is a point of concern for me. Remi, in the meantime, pretty well keeps to himself, smart boy that he his.
Integrating a herd is interesting, and feeding time makes it even more so as I have only a three stall barn: 3 stalls + 4 horses + 3 dogs, all to be fed in the barn, + 1 stall for hay, well you do the math.. The secret is being very patient, watching the language of the horses, gradually sorting through how to feed them so that a disaster doesn't happen. Even with that, I have found what is working best for my situation is to feed the dogs in the center aisle first. While they are eating, ready the stalls, including the wash stall that I have commandeered for a feeding stall temporarily, with feed, water, hay, and fresh shavings. I clean the stalls every morning and evening. When the dogs are finished eating, I remove their food (otherwise Maestro who is fed in the center aisle will eat their food), then go outside, halter Remi, lead him into his stall, halter Tilly, lead her into her stall, halter Derby, lead him into the wash stall, and Maestro follows, is distracted by his feed in the aisle, so securing Derby in his stall is easy.
I have learned that Maestro likes to play with everything in the center aisle. He methodically removes every crop from their hangers, removes all of the grooming brushes from their shelf, aggravates Derby while he tries to eat, and has torn the top off of the box where I keep my liquid supplies. So I now wait for him to finish eating, and turn him out. He can still see the other horses, so he's happy enough and it gives the other horses, and him, time to rest from one another. Then I turn out Derby with Maestro, keeping Tilly and Remi in their stalls during the day. Remi will gain weight too quickly if I don't keep him in and Tilly needs rest from Derby's amorous advances. Then I repeat the process in the evenings, except I turn Tilly and Remi out for the evening. It's a process. The poor dogs don't know what's hit them, but they are taking it in their stride. Did I mention that we also have a new dog? More on him on a later post.
As for herd integration: Derby, the alpha, is in love with Tilly, the new mare, Derby was Maestro's best friend until she came. Maestro is not happy with the change, so it's a challenge for Derby keeping Maestro away from Tilly so that Maestro doesn't hurt her. And so that Derby can keep his mare close to his side. I like Maestro, he's a sweet guy, but I am very ready for him to return to the Kressenburg farm from where he came. He is getting aggressive toward Tilly, which makes Derby aggressive toward Maestro, it is a point of concern for me. Remi, in the meantime, pretty well keeps to himself, smart boy that he his.
Integrating a herd is interesting, and feeding time makes it even more so as I have only a three stall barn: 3 stalls + 4 horses + 3 dogs, all to be fed in the barn, + 1 stall for hay, well you do the math.. The secret is being very patient, watching the language of the horses, gradually sorting through how to feed them so that a disaster doesn't happen. Even with that, I have found what is working best for my situation is to feed the dogs in the center aisle first. While they are eating, ready the stalls, including the wash stall that I have commandeered for a feeding stall temporarily, with feed, water, hay, and fresh shavings. I clean the stalls every morning and evening. When the dogs are finished eating, I remove their food (otherwise Maestro who is fed in the center aisle will eat their food), then go outside, halter Remi, lead him into his stall, halter Tilly, lead her into her stall, halter Derby, lead him into the wash stall, and Maestro follows, is distracted by his feed in the aisle, so securing Derby in his stall is easy.
I have learned that Maestro likes to play with everything in the center aisle. He methodically removes every crop from their hangers, removes all of the grooming brushes from their shelf, aggravates Derby while he tries to eat, and has torn the top off of the box where I keep my liquid supplies. So I now wait for him to finish eating, and turn him out. He can still see the other horses, so he's happy enough and it gives the other horses, and him, time to rest from one another. Then I turn out Derby with Maestro, keeping Tilly and Remi in their stalls during the day. Remi will gain weight too quickly if I don't keep him in and Tilly needs rest from Derby's amorous advances. Then I repeat the process in the evenings, except I turn Tilly and Remi out for the evening. It's a process. The poor dogs don't know what's hit them, but they are taking it in their stride. Did I mention that we also have a new dog? More on him on a later post.
Remi (far left), Derby, Tilly and Maestro
Treasure My Remington - My Newest Field Hunter
Friday, July 12, 2013
Chatilly Lace
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