Filed under: December 2022 | Tags: firewood, maple syrup season, Small Farming, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch horses
December 31, 2022
The end of the year is here. It is hard to believe that it has flown by.
In the photo above, our four grown up Suffolk horses enjoy their supper before turn out. I gave all of them haircuts and trimmed all the tails and manes. They were due!
Left to right; Hank, the new horse Rosie, Abby and Amee Quite a bit of power on display.
We are sitting through a rainy day. The bitter cold temperatures have left us. Now, we are having unseasonable warm days. Today was 55 F
We have plenty of work to do, but the mud and rain makes for a day off for us all. We will ring in the new year in a few hours. We will make our plans and resolutions and hope that we are blessed for doing it.
Maple days will soon be here. Firewood jobs are plenty. There are many youngsters to keep training and spring work is right around the corner. Instead of looking forward, I will take a minute to look back and reflect on a successful year that was 2022. There were sad days, mad days and glad days. I will hold on to the glad days.
Happy New Year everyone!
Filed under: December 2022 | Tags: Small Farming, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch horses
December 28, 2022
In a harness that is a bit too small, we dressed and took a walk around the farm. It was just a test drive to see what our new addition “Rosie” knew. She is most definitely an old hand. She walked off, turned when asked and stood quiet when I said, “whoa”. She backed up and turned either direction on command. We walked around a bit and it went very smooth.
I kept the lesson short, mostly for me. I am still recovering from Covid and it knocks the crap out of a guy! I am finally feeling better but my energy is fleeting. The recent cold took my breath away, but today the warmer temperature made me want to do something.
Rosie is a champ. She is a great addition to our work horses. I see her as a trainer for many of our youngsters. She is patient. She is kind and she listened intently to my squeaky hoarse voice. She is a keeper!
I think she even understands the “drill”. She stood quiet behind Hank our stud to be groomed and harnessed. You would think she had done it her whole life. No monkey business from either horse, just calm and quiet. I do love these Suffolk horses!
Filed under: December 2022 | Tags: draft horses, family, resting, Small Farming, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch horses, training
December 20, 2022
It is a beautiful day today. It is wintery and cold, but the sun keeps peeking through the clouds. We don’t have as much snow as in this picture from a couple years ago, but it is coming. The weatherman says our high’s will be in the single digits F. Brrr, I have been making preparations, but still have a ways to go. I am still battling from the winter virus, so I am weak and get winded easily. It makes me wonder how Santa does all that jumping in and out of a sleigh with his big belly?!
Looks like we will be trapped indoors a bit while the cold snap wreaks havoc outside. It is a good time for training youngsters and socializing babies. The winds can howl while we enjoy the warmth and comfort of the barn, mixed with the wonderful smell of horse!
Soon we will be playing in the snow, but for now it is a rest, drink and heal kind of day. We will take the storm head on and find much to be thankful for as we watch the weather outside and listen for sleighbells in the air!
Filed under: December 2022 | Tags: Small Farming, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch horses
December 18, 2022
We found this dear lady in Canada. She is a full sister to two of our registered Suffolk horses and a half sister to three others. She is twelve years old and has been earning her keep on a produce farm near Montreal. We picked her up in Buffalo last Friday. so far we like her real well. She and our Hank have no shared DNA, so she will be a valuable asset to us in our breeding program. More importantly, she will help us teach youngsters, horses as well as children.
We have kept her in isolation these last couple days, but all is well so introductions will begin tomorrow. I on the other hand tested positive for Covid. I had a couple really rough days with fever, coughing and aches and pains. I am on the mend but still moving a bit slow.
Rosie is her name. We will have more photos of her in action in the next few days. What a wonderful Christmas present!
Filed under: December 2022 | Tags: Christmas, Christmas Parade, Hometown, Suffolk Horses
December 5, 2022
Whew! We have been very busy these last few days. December came in with a rush. Over the weekend, we attended two different parades. We decorated the wagon with bows, greenery and lights. The horses and harnesses got spiffed up so that we could put on a show for local folks. The horses did very well. They navigated the darkened streets, scary shadows and crazy flashing lights in stride.
We were 19 out of 30 units in the first parade. Loud music, honking horns, sirens and even a few loud train horns ruled the night in Geneva Ohio, as we lined up on Depot Street. Baton twirlers, with their batons outfitted with boughs and lights, flung them skyward and all around in the dark night. It made for a wonderful sight. We laughed a bit as the horses “wondered” what they were. They stared wide-eyed at first, but soon settled down and simply watched the show.
We represented Lake Erie Crematory and Funeral home. They helped with the decorations and the banners.
In our hometown parade here in Jefferson Ohio, we were number 58 out of over 70 units! It was a big parade. The grand marshals were the high school football team, who had just been crowned regional champs. They got beat out by the team who won the state championship. The boys had an awesome year. The cheerleaders and marching band also led the parade a fitting tribute.
The local folks in both cities turned out in a big way to watch and support the parade. It was a fun time for everyone.
We all know that Jesus is the reason for the season. The Grinch made his appearance as did Santa Claus. We take all the commercial stuff with a grain of salt, for us this is a way to celebrate the Savior’s birth. We use the gifts we have been given to do this and have no regrets for doing so.
It was a cold, wonderful night. I even found several smiles to share with the crowd. Our son Jake partnered with us for these events and was a big help. The horses were awake, but stayed on task and did not disappoint in any way. So, like the band, they made it easy to march into December in a big way!
RicelandMeadows 