Penny and Dandy have moved to a new home on the last Thursday of April, 2011 where they will live under the gentle care and guidance of Mira and her husband. I will miss you girls! Both horses foaled successfully and gave Mira little fillies. Mira will sell the mares now, to Greg in Devon, where my 3 Canadians were boarded prior to Ty's demise. Wahkan is staying at Greg's farm, while Willa and her colt are home. Yay!

Have you herd?

I am  not going to be a horse breeder after all. Horses are not a good economic decision in Alberta at this time, especially Canadians. Few people have much knowledge of the wonderful breed so they are not part of the designer breeds that are popular. That makes it hard to sell a Canadian horse unless it is well broke and then really, you are selling the training as much as the horse. So, bye bye to the herd. I plan to keep the stallion and he will be gelded and maybe one of the new babies, especially if she is a filly, just in case I do get the hankering to try again when the market improves.

Poor Ty came home with his ribs showing through his hide, half emancipated from not being fed and cared for where he was boarded. If you are considering boarding in the Hairy Hill area, call me first to see where not to go. No animals deserves to be treated the way Ty was. Sorry, Ty. I will make it up to you.  

 Wahkan is now a yearling gelding,a most pleasant boy.

Rheine and Willa (filly), now a yearling.

 Penny's new addition, Xerxes, a fantastic colt.

Horse Prayer

Dearest God in Heaven, give me strength to guide my horse.
Make my hands soft and my head clear.
Let my horse understand me and I him.
My heart, you have blessed with a special love of these animals,
Let me never lose sight of it. My soul, you have gifted with a deep need for them; let that need never lessen.
Always, let my breath catch as the sun gleams on an elegant head.
 Always, may my throat tighten at the sound of a gentle nicker.
 Let the scent of fresh hay and a new bag of grain always be sweet to me. Let the warm touch of a warm nose on my hand always bring a smile. I adore the joy of a warm day on the farm.
The grace and splendor of a running horse, the thunder of its hooves makes my eyes burn and my heart soar.

Let it always be so.

Dearest God, grant me patience, for horses are harnessed wind,
and wind can be flighty.  Let me not frighten or harm them.
Instead show me ways to understand them. Above all, Dear God, fill my life with them. When I pass from this world, send my soul to no Heaven without them. For this love you have given me graces my existence and I shall cherish it and praise You for it for all time.

Author Unknown

Ty, the amazing young stallion, has come to join our herd as the sire of the next generation. Ty's breeding includes the famous Escobar and his temperament and conformation should be second to none. Penny and Dandy, the two brood mares, should help him learn how to be a gentleman, and if the filly is bred for the following year, he will be as gentle with her as he is in his everyday life. What an excellent horse he is. He was hunted by Germaine and Linda from the well known Canadian Ferme de Berges in Ontario.How fortunate for Ty that Germaine knows horses and especially the Little Iron Horse,the Canadian! You can purchase Ty's foal in utero for 2012...please inquire.

Unfortunate circumstances have caused the Eternal herd to be boarded for the winter of 2010. This has allowed a change in roles for Dandy, as she is the brood mare of nearly 14 horses. When Xerxes arrived at only over 7 months old, he was being "bothered" by a yearling gelding. Xerxes, who is quiet and shy, simply turned around and gave the gelding a full double hooved kick in the flank and guess what?  He is part of the crowd now and accepted for the big horse he is becoming. All fuzzy with his winter coat, he looks too sweet to think he would have the courage to kick a big horsey!

When Wahkan and Willa grow up, they will be trained to drive. They are closely matched in proportions and have been together since they were born just days apart. Willa is so friendly. She is always curious about what is going on and follows food around like a puppy. Wahkan follows Willa (typical boy).
What a team!

I cannot say he looks as fit as he should be. He was boarded for nearly six months at a Quarter Horse farm near Hairy Hill (I know, what a name). He is too thin, and has some cuts and scrapes and a rubbing sore under his halter, which was never taken off all winter. That sore tells me that he was tied way too often and the fact that the halter was still on, is not good for Ty either. I fed him still tied to a tree in his new corral and when he was no longer hungry he displayed pawing of the ground and attempting to get the rope off with his hind foot. Clever, but neither worked. Then he laid down and got up about 5 times. I was not sure he wouldn't just charge right through the fences or jump over them, but I took the lead rope off anyhow. 

Ty jumped and kicked his heels in the air and ran and ran and ran. He was in a standing stall with a couple of stinky cows all winter. Initially I tried to get him better accommodations, however, that was not possible then. The joyous thing about Ty is his wonderful temperament. After that terrible winter, after his cuts and sores, he was happy to be free to run and when he came back to me, he was proud of himself and told me so. He is a good horse. Germaine said so. I do too.

Ty is home and the moon is full.