Madison rattling the unlatched ate

My Connemara stallion, Kerrymor Madison, has never been one to get into trouble. It has always been his farm friends who undo the gate latches or participate in other types of pony and llama antics. Often, those of us who know animals think of the houdinis as the smart ones. You hear, "They are so clever. There isn't a latch that can contain her."

On Wednesday morning, Madison reminded me that smart and clever doesn't always mean one is a latch undoer! He likes to think of himself as a good boy and one who knows the rules. I'm not saying he doesn't occasionally break the rules, but on most days, he likes order on the farm.

Wednesday morning when I was cleaning the barn, I kept hearing, "chink, chink, chink." I assumed it was Madison at the gate, but it was an unusual sound. He is not a pony who paws at gates or who messes with gate latches. But on it went, rattle, rattle, rattle, chink, chink, chink. So I went out to see what was going on. Ah hah. "Miss Vickie, you left the gate chain hanging the night before on the last pass through the gate with hay for the llamas."

I even remembered doing that and thinking, be sure to get that gate chain back on before quitting for the night! Madison wanted to make sure that I knew he had found the unlatched gate. He even showed me that he could put his neck over the top and push it forward or pull it back. But with each move of the gate, he placed it back in the closed position when done. Then, rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle, chink, chink, chink!

Thank you Madison, for staying in your pasture and paddock, and for not letting the llamas out with you. I'm sure they also appreciate that you didn't come in and eat their hay. You are a very, very good boy!

by Vickie J. Maris, Dawn of Promise Farm
http://www.dawnofpromisefarm.com/

Sharing the magic of a bareback ride on a special Connemara pony

Many things magical exist about a horse. I am reminded of this whenever I spend time with my Connemaras. Just what is it about a horse that can keep you warm during a ride on a very cold day? Yes, maybe your cheeks get red and your toes start to chill, but a horse willingly shares her warmth with all parts of her human that make connection with her majestic frame.

The ride on Savannah was significant this evening - not only because she kept me warm on a frigid night, but because she took each step with confidence and without pain. She has battled issues with laminitis on and off throughout the year, which cause her feet to be sore. But managing her diet carefully with the help of our veterinarian has brought her to this wonderful point of being able to join me for a ride again. I'm grateful for her happy spirit and for the joy she so obviously shares with me in going for a bareback ride on a snowy evening.

Here's a brief video clip taken from the back of Savannah during our ride.

Savannah in the llama pen

We have started keeping Savannah in a separate place - away from the round bales of hay - so that we can better control what she is eating. Otherwise, her laminitis flares up and she has trouble walking.

I tried putting her out with our male llama, Mas Chiri, and it worked like a charm. They get along great. But I was uncertain how she would like his pen. It has a tarp suspended from the trees for protection from the rain and snow.

Well, being a calm, Connemara pony, the tarp turned out not to be an issue. She hangs out underneath to eat hay and will even bump it to get the snow off when it is hanging low. It's not my first choice in pony setups, but it is fun to see how flexible Savannah is regarding her housing. Today she is out in the big field romping with her pony friends and having a great time. But it is nice to know we have options when we need to keep her away from those round bales, and when we'd prefer not to have her locked up in a stall. Again, three cheers for Connemaras!

Conor wins at Fair Hill - novice eventing

The amazing Connemara wonder pony, Conor (Loughin's Aragorn), is continuing his training with Allison Springer and has been eventing. We got word that he won his novice division at Fair Hill! Congrats to Conor, Allison, and to Conor's new owner, Nancy Winter. We're just so excited about his success and about how much fun he is having as an eventer and a foxhunter. Becca found photos of him competing at Pine Top earlier this spring. Here is a the link. We can't wait to see the images from Fair Hill! We'll keep you posted.
Vickie

Dawn of Promise Farm
Connemaras and Llamas Intertwined with Life!
www.dawnofpromisefarm.com

Connemara pony gelding finds friendship with llamas

Our rising three-year-old Connemara pony gelding, Dawn's Jeremiah McLane, enjoys the company in the pasture of our female llamas. On bad weather days when the mares are going to be using the sheds quite a bit and I know Jeremiah might get picked on by the gals, we turn him out with the llamas instead. Here are a few photos of him when we had a couple weeks of very, very cold weather in Indiana.

V.J. Maris Photography

Dawn of Promise Farm
Show quality llamas and Connemara ponies

Connemaras, Bitsy and Dawn's Alannah Madison move to Big Sky Farm

Top photo: Old Carolina's Bitsy at her new home, Big Sky Farm. Bitsy is a Connemara pony by *Gun Smoke and out of Oakfields Garnet Finch. Above: Scott with Bitsy on the morning we loaded her and Alannah in the trailer at Dawn of Promise Farm to go to northwest Illinois. Below: Dawn's Alannah Madison, 3-yr-old Connemara mare bred by Dawn of Promise Farm (Kerrymor Madison X Serendipity's Savannah) in her new home at Big Sky. We'll keep you posted as Alannah begins her training for an eventing and foxhunting career and as Bitsy has her foal by Madison next summer. She is due in June 2010.

We recently delivered two of our Connemara ponies to their new owner, Nancy Winter, at Big Sky Farm. Nancy has bred very competitive half-bred Connemaras out of her Connemara mares for years. She is switching her program to purebred Connemaras and has added a few younger mares to her group.

We're so pleased that our two gals, Old Carolina's Bitsy, whom we bred to Kerrymor Madison for Nancy, and one of Madison's daughters, Dawn's Alannah Madison (out of Serendipity's Savannah), are now calling Big Sky Farm in beautiful northwestern Illinois their new home. On our return trip from vacation we stopped to see the girls and pick up our horse trailer. They looked happy as could be in their lovely new home. I'm including a couple pictures for your enjoyment. Thank you Nancy!

Vickie Maris
Dawn of Promise Farm
Battle Ground, Indiana

Connemara, Conor, finds a love for eventing

Conor, our fun-loving Connemara gelding (Loughin's Aragorn is his registered name) was recently featured in the weekly news at the website for the American Connemara Pony Society. He and our friend Becca Perry-Hill, who has been riding him for several months, competed quite successfully in their first horse trials on June 21, 2009 at beginner novice.

Enjoy reading more at this link: http://www.acps.org/news/member.htm

Photos by Vickie J. Maris (more photos of Conor and Becca can be found at the Dawn of Promise Farm website: www.dawnofpromisefarm.com

If you'd like to see the three other Connemaras who competed at the horse trials, check out my photo website: www.imageevent.com/vjmarisphotos/horsetrials