Filed under: April 2023 | Tags: foal death, promise of things to come, Suffolk Punch horses
April 25, 2023
We were filled with emotion as “Tug”, our second foal of the year was born. He was a little slow getting going, but once he figured things out, he was off and running. He, along with his mother, half sister Joy and her mother Abby, were all out on our big pasture. The foals could run and rest in the warm sunshine. Tug jogged around and nursed often.
Yesterday morning, I found Tug laying on a grassy knoll, stretched out as if sleeping peacefully, but Tug was dead. He had passed in the night. We don’t know why these things happen sometimes. There were no signs of distress, stiffness or soreness of any kind. The night before he passed, I checked on them all at dark. He was walking near mom just doing what baby horses do.
I buried Tug right there on his grassy knoll. Mom Amee, whinnied for him awhile yesterday, but had become quiet by evening. Today she is grazing and keeping Abby and Joy company. Thankfully Amee is ok and doing fine. We will breed her back next month and try again for 2024.
Amee is a great mother. Tug was her third foal. This breed is critically endangered. Many mares get bred, but only about 80-90 foals get registered each year. I will remain undaunted as we do our best to help preserve this breed. So with heavy heart I say goodbye to Tug, but with the optimism of any farmer…I say, there is always next year.
Filed under: April 2023 | Tags: Baby horses, foals, Small Farming, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch horses
April 22, 2023
Two days ago, we welcomed “Tug” to our farm. He is a big boy. Mom Amee, was glad to meet him too. Tug made his debut at 7:45 Thursday morning. I had to help mom just a bit to get him on the outside. He was a little slow to nurse, but once he figured it out he was a happy little guy!
A little white star and long legs makes him a handsome boy. He struggled to make those legs work, after being cooped up for the last eleven months. Today he is out on pasture with mom, his Aunt Abby and half sister Joy. They are all enjoying the rain and wide open space to run and rest.
I am not making much of a fashion statement, but this is how you look after jumping out of bed and into your clothes to help deliver a foal. It took almost 2 hours to get to this point, but it was worth every minute!
We have two more of Hank’s babies coming in the next few months. Hank is now proven and the barnyard is adjusting to the new arrivals. Connie and I are all smiles as we watch the youngsters frolic in the pasture, zooming past their moms in big circles.
This guy gets all the credit…but the girls do all the work! Many thanks to my great mommas, Amee and Abby. Thanks be to God for his many blessings!
Filed under: April 2023 | Tags: Baby horses, draft horses, foals, Small Farming, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch horses
April 18, 2023
Welcome to our world, Riceland Meadows “Joy”! This little girl was born yesterday afternoon. We waited on her for a while, but she was worth the wait! Her momma Abby, was very happy to meet her too. We struggled to name her, because we had so many choices, one of which was “Patience”. It took a lot of that while we waited. First I had her due date wrong by a month. Then mom went almost to weeks beyond that day! I carefully watched and we all waited, finally Joy picked yesterday for her debut.
Hank is now a proud papa with his first baby on the ground. We are happy with his efforts. We have another Hank baby due in a few days and hopefully two more in the early summer. We look forward to meeting the coming foals.
We will be posting more baby pictures in the coming days and weeks. Farm work continues with a few projects wrapping up and a few more about to start. Training continues too, but everything pauses when the babies come!
Filed under: April 2023 | Tags: firewood, maple syrup, maple syrup season, Small Farming, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch horses
April 2, 2023
I have no idea where March 2023 went! We were crazy busy with Maple syrup and all things farming. I made a rookie mistake and calculated the due dates of our two mares wrong. They are due in April…not March. They did enjoy a couple extra weeks of maternity leave. I got up a few extra nights for foal watch checks…but then I figured out what I had done. So, we are now making preparations for the new arrivals.
The maple syrup season finished up for us on March 23rd. We boiled until almost midnight that Thursday. We are in cleaning mode now as we get everything disassembled, cleaned and stored for next season. We are happy with the 2023 season, even though we missed the first sap run. We were busy processing our pigs, but we rallied and made it happen. It did add a bit of chaos, but it all turned out well.
We had a couple photo sessions with our stallion Hank. We want to advertise him a bit in the future. He is a handsome fellow!
We think the photos turned out well. Hank will have babies on the ground very soon. Our mares are just days away from foaling and we are very excited. Hank is a registered Suffolk stallion. His full name is Ridgewind Atheling Hank of Indian Mound … Hank for short.
The biggest things we will be occupied with in the coming weeks are the babies of course, but completing the maple clean up, working on next years firewood for syrup, plowing for spring crops and working/training the young horses. Things are settling down. My sister’s house is complete and she is moving in to it. I still have some follow up there, but the intensity is over. So, yes, no fooling, it is indeed April already!
RicelandMeadows 