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

DPF has purebred Connemaras for sale

We have several of our lovely purebred Connemaras for sale as we're working to scale back our herd. Please visit our website for detailed descriptions and photos of the ponies who are for sale. You can also see videos of the ponies and the farm at our youtube channel. In the photo above, you see our two-year-old Connemara filly, Dawn's Molly, visiting with one of our llamas, SVL Llovely Llana. If you're looking for a Connemara who is llama-proof, you've come to the right place! :-) The photo below is 1999 DSH, Denver. He's not for sale. He's named after one of our favorite Connemara stallions, Aladdin's Denver. VJ Maris Photo

Contact: Vickie Maris, vickiemaris@gmail.com

Dawn of Promise

Farm

Conor posing for a nostril shot on a cold, cold day!

Here is our sweet Loughin's Aragorn "Conor" in one of his favorite poses - smell the camera.

Our lovely, three-year-0ld Connemara pony, Dawn's Alannah Madison, enjoys a good roll in the south pasture at Dawn of Promise Farm. VJ Maris Photo

Scooter, is a 27-year-old Welsh pony who has made his home with us on Dawn of Promise for the past 25 years. Here he is enjoying hay out in the pasture with a few llama buddies (Betty, Llana, Cierra and Cresta). VJ Maris Photo It seems like winter has been very, very long this year. We're ready for spring temperatures! Enjoy the pictures.

Vickie

Dawn of Promise Farm

Ponies and llamas featured in video recap of 2008

A new video of the ponies and llamas is available on youtube. I also have it posted at the bottom of the blog. Enjoy! Vickie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-n-RQsVEDw

Ice on the farm for Christmas

The cold weather and rain created a sheet of ice on Dawn of Promise Farm for Christmas. It was very tricky for the ponies and the llamas to get around the farm so we created trails with straw. It wasn't a perfect solution but it certainly helped.

The ponies have new llama companions

We have created a new video about the llamas' first month at Dawn of Promise Farm. If you'd like to see the ponies' new farm companions, click here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1i5zkPr-Ak

Conor jumps his first oxer!

We took Conor, the wonder pony, to a schooling show at Foxton Farm in Romney, Indiana on Oct. 5. They were finishing up the classes from the day before so we didn't get to stay long enough to enter any classes (we were heading for the greenie jumpers - cross poles, 2' verticals, etc.), but Becca had ample opportunity to school in the warmup while we were waiting.

Conor was his usual terrific self. He is looking so good in his dressage and he is very willing about his jumping, even with only about 3 schools over fences to this point. Here is a picture of his first oxer with Becca up.

Updates on the happenings at Dawn of Promise

Here's a note I sent in for the Region 5 report at the Annual Meeting of the American Connemara Society. I thought perhaps those of you who subscribe to the blog might also find this of interest.


Dawn of Promise Farm - Updates on activities of 2008


At Dawn of Promise Farm in Battle Ground, Indiana, Vickie Maris is working with Serendipity's Savannah in preparation for the testing to obtain registration through the Delta Society as a pet-partner team. Savannah was featured in a recent edition of the American Connemara magazine after she and Vickie visited the nursing home where Vickie's late father was residing. Savannah quietly walked the hallways of the facility greeting residents and even walking willingly through narrow hallways into the residents' rooms to make visits with people who were bedridden but still wanted to meet a pony visitor!


(Photo is of Vickie and Savannah greeting neighbors, Travis and Jennifer along with Col. Sparks)

Once the pair is registered as a pet-partner team with Delta Society, Savannah and Vickie would receive identification badges, would be covered by Delta Society insurance during their visits and would be on a list of teams available for making hospital, nursing home, therapy center, and school visits. Vickie sees potential in a couple of her other ponies for this role and plans to work with one of her new llamas as a teammate as well. For others interested in animal assisted therapy with dogs, cats, birds, pocket pets, llamas, or ponies, the Delta Society website provides details on the training and application process.


(Photo - Vickie meeting Velvet.)











Lougin's Aragorn "Conor," a 5-year-old gelding at Dawn of Promise Farm bred by Loughin Farm, is being ridden at Dawn of Promise by event rider Becca Perry. Becca found Dawn of Promise in a web search and was excited to find she only lived 1 mile away! She is getting her master's degree at Purdue University while her husband is assistant manager of Prophetstown State Park in Battle Ground. Becca and Vickie are preparing Conor for a couple combined tests or events next season. Conor, with his humor, wonderful talent, and constant desire to please, has very quickly recruited another Connemara enthusiast into the fold!

(Photo - Becca and Conor during their first ride.)

Dawn's Brennainn, Connemara gelding for sale

Here's an ad about Brennainn from his owner, Jodi Melfi . . .

Brenn (Dawn's Brennainn - 2002 ACPS 15.1 Gelding) is officially for sale. Check out his site at Equine.com .
http://www.equine.com/horses-for-sale/horse-ad-691994.aspx?search_id=c8dd6053-7605-42b4-9daf-b2ffc65ed6a9

Brenn was bred by Dawn of Promise Farm and is by the athletic Connemara stallion Kerrymor Madison who excels in dressage and combined training. Madison earned his certificate of achievement in dressage with the American Connemara Pony Society and was also awarded the 2002 An Tostal Hall of Fame Trophy for outstanding Connemara performance stallion in the nation.

Brenn is out of Realta (by Aladdin X Gloves Maire), another versatile Connemara who has numerous outstanding foals and is a favorite mount for young children just learning to ride or just starting over fences. Brenn's grandsires, Lynfields Kiltuck and Aladdin were outstanding competitors in eventing, dressage and jumper arenas. His granddams, Maire and Hideaway Bay, were contenders in jumper arenas, eventing and beloved as foxhunters for many years as well.
I'll be uploading more pics and video as soon as I have them.

I leased him last month to Abbey Postle who is a beautifully talented
14-yr-old, training with Vada Welch. It worked out perfectly. She rode him clean in two rounds at Level 2 Jumpers at Traders Point. Terrific for her first "A" show and his first Level 2! Brenn is a match for a young rider moving up from Ponies and looking to ride "A" Circuit.

Contact: Jodi Melfi
614-805-7873 cell
jodi@absolutearts.com

New photo flyer of Dawn's Molly - For Sale

Dawn's Molly, purebred Connemara filly born in 2007, is for sale at Dawn of Promise Farm. This filly is stunning. She has superb potential for your next eventing partner or dressage horse. She will likely mature to about 15 hands. Contact Vickie Maris for details. Click on this link if you'd like to see this flyer along with other photos of Molly.

Summer grazing

The ponies always enjoy the south pasture in the summer time. Here you see Jeremiah (yearling gelding), Molly (yearling filly), Bitsy (mare) and Conor (gelding) taking in a bug-free evening.

Bitsy in the creek

On Saturday, Scott and I took Bitsy for a walk in the woods at Dawn of Promise Farm. Here are a couple pictures of her at the creek. She got into a pickle when she stepped into a spot where the bottom was silty and soft. It was a VERY scary moment! My heart was pounding when the creek bottom swallowed her to her belly! Thank goodness for the wonderful sense of Connemaras. She stayed calm and listened to me encourage her to pull herself out. She got her front legs out on the bank straight in front of her and pulled her hindquarters out next. We didn't want her to be afraid of water crossing so we found a different spot (rockier bottom) to cross the creek. Smart pony that she is, she tested the footing with her front feet than turned and stomped it twice with her back foot. She decided all was well and stepped out into the water. She continued on the walk with us as if nothing spooky had happened. Three cheers for Connemaras!

Several new photos of Connemara ponies on website

I invite you to visit the Dawn of Promise Farm website. Several new portraits of the DPF ponies have recently been posted. You'll also find updated photos of Dawn's Molly, 2007 filly who is for sale.

Enjoy! Vickie

VJ Maris Photo of Old Carolina's Bitsy

Pony with a new front leg

Here is a link to an interesting story about a pony who survived Katrina and is now bringing hope to people in hospitals and other places. Check out the link.