Bitless Riding

So previously I discussed what we could do to help Doppler embrace his new found youth (he is only 10 after-all) .  To call him nonathletic seems a little unfair, its like saying the fat kid will always be fat.  I beg to differ and my own son is proof positive that you can change. :)  Doppler definitely has a stubborn streak, no denying that...but he also has a willingness to please and a weakness for a pocket full of cookies!

Abi had been riding Doppler frequently around the yard bareback and with just his halter since we got him.  We had seen pictures of Doppler under saddle so we knew he had been ridden.  The owner expressed that he didn't really like the bit but that maybe we could try different ones and maybe he just had a sore in his mouth which is why he gave so much trouble when taking the bit.  OK, no big deal. Uh, yeah right!

One day after Abi finally got a saddle and bridle and a bit...she eagerly ran to the back yard, struggled to tack him up and then quickly put the bit in his mouth.  IMMEDIATELY...I knew Doppler wasn't happy in the worse way.  He tried to bury his head in my chest ~ and if he could talk I will swear that he was saying "oh please help me why are you letting this happen".  I watched him struggle and rear his head...jolt about...stick his tongue out wildly. While my heart did break for him...I'm not the horse person here, what do I know ~ And Abi she didn't seem that concerned.  She jumped up on his back and made an attempt to ride him.  It started out as a normal ride she got down to the end of the paddock and Doppler had enough of that... he had enough of her... he was done and that was that.  When a 900 pound animal decides that they are done, guess what, THEY ARE! He reared and he bucked and I panicked! Holy shit, my kid is on him!!! I yelled get off, however she never wavered and seemed much less concerned then I did, she got off while Doppler wildly flailed.   

I was frustrated for Doppler and I angrily told her and John to get that out of his mouth now.  And that was it... I told them to never put that thing in his mouth again.  I know I stirred some controversy in the house with John because that is how you ride a horse ~ isn't it?  After much researching I educated myself on the brutality of the bit and the alternatives to riding without one.  I am now well aware that a bit controls a horse by causing pain, not by creating trust between rider and horse.  Abi never gave me an argument...so I'm sure she was a little shaken by the event, up to this point all the horses she has ridden were well versed in the bit and take it without issue (although now i am sure they all take it reluctantly).  Why on earth would you put an animal through that agony needlessly.  I saw horrifying videos of the stuff a bit does to a horse.  (Once an animal activist, always an animal activist ~ sorry).

Since then I have learned a few more terms and techniques...not only can you ride bitless, but you should know how to ride your horse bitless and bareback... PEOPLE JUMP THEIR HORSES WITHOUT BITS AND SADDLES...  Now that's impressive.  

Anyway, I will spare you the science details but the bottom line is I will not have anyone torturing a pet of mine.  I immediately bought three different training halters that Abi can use to ride Doppler without the bit and guess what.... Doppler is not bucking and he is not rearing he is responding to her leg and do what he is asked (mostly!).  So remind me again why you MUST use a bit?  

Doppler gets a new blanket!

For the first time ever in his life Doppler put on a blanket to keep him warm while out in the cold! I think he was a little nervous due to having something completely enveloping him like that... he got a little spooky and ran to the end of the paddock immediately after it was on,  but came back once he relaized the threat of evil was gone!

I think he looks absolutely adorable but I will let you he the judge :)

Spirit of an Appaloosa

We knew that Doppler was stubborn as we watched how stubborn he could be when we would go to visit him prior to bringing him home (and Appaloosa's are stubborn by nature).  He loved to be haltered, she would pull out his halter and he would see it...come right over and stick his head in.  Wow, what a good horse.  Then she would walk him out of the gate and he would make it a few steps before putting his head down, planting his feet and commence to eating grass.

All the pulling and coaxing in the world wouldn't make Doppler go.  He wanted grass and he was was going to eat it.  Even underweight his giant frame was no match for his owner...or Abi.  He would plant his feet and that was it, and he knew it! Once we brought him home, we had little issue with him doing this and have been quite successful in removing this behavior.  Do not get me wrong... it wasn't like a miracle pony behaving constantly... but the fact that his paddock was all grass helped.  He didn't have the need to come out to eat grass he had access to never ending grass where he lived now...so leaving his paddock meant a new experience like the walk in the woods above.

Doppler does this thing when he is being stubborn... he POUTS! Yes, pouts.  His lower lip drops down and bobs up and down like a toddler getting ready to cry!  Its the most pathetic thing you would ever experience.  But he definitely does it because he knows it will make you feel bad.... He does this when you are asking him to do something he really isn't in the mood for.  Somedays... he does it when you ask him to leave the paddock.  He knows that leaving the paddock could mean work.  Aaaaw! But mom, I don't feel like working right now!!!!????!

Doppler's ears back...show he could be someone irritated with this photo session.

 Do you see how good he looks now, just one month later.  He is no longer hollow, his hips have filled in nicely, not one bit of his spine is showing anymore.

Because we are fast approaching winter in New England his fuzzy winter coat is coming in and he couldn't be cuter! He is as soft as a bunny.

A funny story can be told about the day Doppler jumped the fence.  Oh yes, and had John not been outside to witness this little act of bravery I would still to this day be trying to figure out how Doppler ended up on the wrong side of the fence without a gate being left open.

John had been outside with a couple of his friends near the top of the driveway.  He witnessed Doppler's frustration due to the fact that he was being ignored... running frantically around his paddock in circles trying to get someones attention... anyone!? Please... let me out!!!!!!  As he ran in circles he became aware that his cries for attention were continuing to be ignored...he decided to GO FOR IT.....

He chose a spot in the fence near the goat pen, an unobstructed area where he could potentially get up enough speed to make the leap and land in a clear spot.  In John's word  "I saw Doppler coming flying out from the side of the barn, he was moving so fast he ran up the driveway and I didn't think he was going to stop!  He was running right toward me, Mike and Lyndon at full speed.  As soon as he got to where we were he just stopped and started to eat grass".

So wow, what a predicament...our non-athletic, non-running, non-jumping pony is now leaping 4 foot fences without issue.  While the fence did take a small beating John has managed to stack a taller fence against it impeding what could become a constant escape route for our spirited Appaloosa.  The rest of the paddock is pretty well surrounded by woods, wood piles, goat house, chicken run... you get the picture.  Honestly, the space he found to make his jump was very small and I am quite impressed that he managed to do it!  Good for you Doppler... you have found your wings...and now you want to fly!

But what on earth do you do with a pony who wants to jump and be free???? You teach him....

Peek-A-Boo

Doppler Pony cont...

So Doppler has been with us a total of a month and about a week or two now.  We have learned during this time exactly how feisty this little beast of a horsey he really is.  If you give him a bath....

He will roll.  Actually...the bath was the first time we saw him roll.  That was the second day we had him, not a day has gone by since...that he hasn't rolled! In fact, this is the rolliest pony I have ever seen.  We will come home from work, school, wherever and you can guarantee (yes guarantee) that 100% of the time you will find Doppler covered from ears to tail in MUD!

Once you clean him up (and he will stand still all day long while being groomed) he has no problem giving pony rides.  Unfortunately we don't have a saddle for pony rides, so Garrick has to go it bareback. OUCH!

Kate stopped by and took him for a quick swing around the paddock...he didn't seem to mind that.  She got him to trot for a little bit, however...not riding with real reins and just his halter has proven to be somewhat effective... but don't you need a bit to control a horse?

Abi has spent many an hour riding him bareback around the yard, around his arena....just riding him for pleasure.  Letting Doppler get to know her and she him.  He's been a really good boy.

Abi's Room Complete

This is late news, but I wanted to add them anyway...Abi's room was eventually finished and she is very happy in her attic hideaway.  Its difficult to take pics in a room with slanted walls, it looks all very piecey... but, here are the completed pictures:

the view from mason's room straight in

Her dressing area

More of the dressing area

More dressing area

The view from the dressing area into her bed room area

This is in her dressing area also, you can see the cool little  necklace holder thing we made! 

Nifty Lamp Shade made out of ruffles!

Her bed tucked under the skylight

The desk we painted turquoise and added cheap glass knobs and an old wooden chair. 

The TV is opposite her bed

Chotchkies

More chotckies...she likes her stuff.

Ruffle Curtains were a nice addition, wish you could see them better

Doppler Pony

We recently adopted a 10 year old 14.3 hh Appaloosa Gelding.  His owner was looking to get rid of him because she knew he wasn't getting the time or attention he deserved or required.  On September 20th, 2012 Doppler along with John and the son of his previous owner, made the short mile long walk from his old home on S. Main St to our home.

We learned a lot about Doppler through his owner, she had owned him for three years after getting him from a man in Harwinton.  Other than giving the kids rides around the yard on his back...Doppler really hasn't done much in the way of "work" we will call him green broke.  It was said ... He's not athletic, he doesn't run, he wont jump, he hates to lunge... the list of things Doppler couldn't do far outweighed the things he could.  But Abi wanted a horse and the list of "can't do's" really didn't matter.

This is how Doppler looked prior to coming to live here.  You can see his bones are sticking out and he really looks like a very slight horse.  Not much to him, not very impressive.  But what his previous owner saw as a "non athletic" horse ... I saw a project pony with potential to be loved.  Not sure why...but I knew we could do better and give him a more exciting existence then just a pasture mate to three goats.

The first day after Doppler arrived at our house Abi groomed him for probably an hour.  Soon after he would RUN after Abi, as she would run from one end of the paddock to the other he would RUN after mane blowing in the wind! The sounds of his hooves hitting grass and dirt was amazing.  His previous owner stopped in to see how he was doing and sat mouth gaping as she saw him run for the first time ever.  She stopped mid-sentence as he took off at a run and said "I've never seen him run before!".  She was truly shocked.  It was at that moment i knew they really had not given this pony a chance to exist.

This photo was taken not long after he got to us, you can still see his ribs, his back...and while its cut off you can see how hollow his hips are.  I would say he needed to gain a couple hundred pounds.  Not a day goes by that this boy does not receive attention...even if only during feeding time, which happens three times a day.  That is three more times the attention than he was being given at his old home.  

Please keep in mind, I am not speaking ill of the previous owner...she knew she wasn't taking care of him and she waited to find the right home before placing him.  She had mentioned that a couple other people came around asking about him, but they did not give her the right vibe and she did not let them have him.  When she met Abi she knew it was the right fit.  It was at that time that she knew she found his future home. After seeing Doppler run that day, she revealed that someone she worked with said "you did not Abi, he picked Abi"...and I believe he did.

To see how happy he gets when he sees Abi coming...its like no one else in the world exists.  He is in love with her...and she with him.  You can tell in his eyes he trusts her and wants to make her happy.  He is such a good boy.

More Chicken Pics

The girls are growing fast, they are about 16 weeks old and you can see they are completely feathered (these pics are about a month old...newer pics are added further in this post).  Aside from not having their bright red combs and waddles yet they appear well grown and have become beautiful healthy chickens ~ I expect to see eggs as early as next month if my calculation in their age is correct. 

Below is a picture of them resting just inside the door of their coop shortly after they were able to move out of their little outdoor dog crate "coop" and into their big girl house.

The chicken pictured in the right of the photo is the ONLY chicken I have named...and the name is Roody ~short for Rooster.  From an early age this is the ONLY chicken that has stood out from the rest, quickly growing larger then the other girls and showing a brightly colored comb on its head and waddle.  A particular trait that this little chick had in persuading me into thinking it's a Rooster was when it would "attack".  I mean, as small as Roody was he/she didn't hesitate when it came time to protecting him/herself and the flock against me, the giant predator.  When I would enter the run at night to tuck them into their crate each night he would hop sideways at me ...jumping on my foot and pecking with all her/his might!  Lucky for me this chick was a feather weight (ha, get it!) and did very little damage, although it did make wearing flip flops into their run quite risky.  Admittedly, I always giggled at how brave this tiny beast was, not hesitating to take me on.

Roody at about 3 months

After several days of this I knew I had to get control of this bird.  I would picture myself running for my life eventually if Roody does end up being a Rooster.  I couldn't bear the thought of fearing my own chicken.  So each time Roody would attack my foot I would graciously pick the chick up and carry him/her around until I had the other girls settled in for the night.

It took Roody just a few days to realize that attacking my foot only resulted in me loving the chick even more...and he quickly gave up the attack on my foot.

I think I will be devastated if the young chicken does end up being a hen.  He makes the absolute perfect Rooster...and come on...Roody, what better name for a strong little man. 

This is Roody at 4 months, you can see the difference in his feathers and size compared to the girls beside him.  Fingers-crossed, I did want one rooster to strut his stuff around the yard.

A Place to Live

Lucky for us we have lots of quirky friends who have access to odd things like flat bed tow trucks.  Such friends come in handy when the need to bring home an oversized shed after weeks of scouring craigslist arise.

I can't even tell you how many nuts out there want to charge you brand new prices for a used shed   and attempting to build yourself a shed this size would prove to be a bigger cost then one could even imagine...no seriously, I had no clue till we went to add up material cost.

So when we found this little ditty just down the road for a price that we couldn't turn down we jumped on it!

What you are looking at is an 8x12 Kloter Farm shed...  whose roof is in slight disrepair, due to the trip home, but otherwise perfect for a few goats and a bunch of chickens!

John and Mason made quick work of partitioning off the shed to allow the chickens and goats to live in harmony together...but separate. 

The chickens will live in the back half with a little chicken door cut out and access to their own run.  While the goats will have front access with wide barn doors and access to the entire paddock that surrounds the shed.

The shed is completely wired and has plenty of lighting if we need.

I anticipate this to be particularly useful on those cold winter nights when heating lamps are a necessity.

Honestly though, what is a livestock shed without a porch?  Built entirely of wood and scraps found around the yard...how could I possibly tell John he was wasting his time?

The porch actually helps shade some of the hot afternoon sun, keeping the inside of the shed about 10 degrees cooler then it had been prior to him putting the porch on. 

It also makes a great place to sit and watch the chickens and goats "free range" each night for a while prior to locking them up for the night.  The porch is also the best seat in the house when it comes to watching a lightening storm come through!!!  I will eventually paint the entire shed the perfect barn red and give the trim a fresh coat of white paint.

Which Came First...

You remember the age old dilemma...which came first, the chicken or the egg?  Well for me the answer is easy... these little girls are definitely here before their egg laying capabilities... even John admitted this weekend he couldn't wait for them to get older and begin laying...to not have to go out and buy eggs anymore (ah the good old days).  At any rate ~
                      Look how big they have gotten!

All feathered and pretty... Actually, who am I kidding, this is like the awkward stage every teen goes through.  Half feathered, half chick fuzz.  They are all getting quite their own little personalities.  When you go visit them (as we do frequently to ensure that their aggression is saved for predators...not caretakers) they fly out of their cage and land on your lap or hand...whichever is more convenient.  I took a funny video of them, but haven't figured out how to get that off my phone yet. :)  Once I do I will surely try to post that on here as well.

 

My biggest gripe at this point is the amount of poop they are capable of generating... and how badly they stink! Having to house them in our first floor bathroom is leaving the living area of the home somewhat stink-ih-fied!  But they are little yet, what can I do? Certainly not kick them out.  I think they will be ready to move out the same time the goats are ready to move in.  That should be a fun day in the Webster House!

Abi's Room is (finally) Underway

After living in the house for 4 months...I had to finally put my foot down and insist that John get started on Abi's room.  Abi has been patiently sharing a room with her little brother.  At the age of 14 I feel she should NOT be sharing a room with her little brother...and I don't believe her little brother should have to be sharing a room with his big sister!
This is a picture of Abi's room taken before we move in, I believe it was the second time we had gone to look at the house... I asked if I could take a few pics specifically to take a pic of the attic.

Her room is going to be in the attic, but not like an attic that sits atop the entire house.  This is the second story of the cape side of the house and sits floor level with the rest of the upstairs, so while it is an attic in the traditional sense... she is right there on the second floor of the house with the rest of the bedrooms.

 Clearly it needs a lot of work and John started by ripping out all of the sheet rock ... although in retrospect, i have no clue why.  It was plenty insulated, so pulling the sheet rock off the walls/ceilings seemed like an unnecessary step.  I love the hardwood floors that are in the room already. 

Very distressed looking, after a coat of polyurethane is laid they are going to look like the floors that people pay thousands of dollars to have laid.

One of our first orders of business was putting in a skylight, for now we opted for one on the far side of the room... This will allow for the maximum amount of light to enter her room on the side that she will "live" on.   The chimney which runs floor to ceiling, almost through the center of her room, will act as a room divider. On the far side we will house her bed, dresser, TV, night stands. All the bedroom essentials. On the side closest to the camera we will build in a closet and foyer so to speak. I'm very excited. Here you can see John working diligently on the roof to cut the hole for the skylight... he has himself tied to the chimney. Can you tell he's not fond of heights. (Neither am I). I had the luxury of working from the inside of her bedroom just handing him things through the hole in the room. What fun!

OK, so I want to quickly recap and update (today's date is 7/3/12).... much has been done since I last posted about Abi's room.  Sadly, we are still not quite finished yet.  Her birthday is in 4 short days and she will return from Maine at the same time... I am hoping desperately that it will be done by then.  Here are a few pics of where we have been and where currently are:

 As you can see here John ripped out all the old sheetrock, I'm guessing in an attempt to create more work for himself...which he was very successful in doing.

I even caught him at one point trying to put up drywall without replacing the insulation that had fallen out.  That aggravated me immensely!  This resulted in him having to rip out what he had already done and putting up new insulation.

So as you can tell, when you try to cut corners DON'T LET ME CATCH YOU (and I will)!  Here in New England not adding insulation is a big "no-no" you might as well leave a big hole in the side of the house.

I love the wall color Abi picked, it was Behr Paint and Primer in one, Coral Cream.  It changes shades as you go around the room, and as the light outside changes. 

Sometimes its very coral, other times its a barely- there pink.  Its going to look great with the contrasting turquoise that she loves so much. 

Take note of the floors, we ended up hitting them briefly with a sander and adding a couple coats of polyurethane.  It looks beautiful!  A 200 year old floor...distressed perfectly.  I will add pictures of the floor when I update the end result.  John promises it will be finished tomorrow.  I'll believe it when I see it ;-)

We got Babies... Cheep cheep

On a bit of a whim me and Abi stopped by the local feed store to get chicks.  I knew the store had gotten the chicks in the week prior and I also knew the chicks go fast in our town, so you have to be quick.  We woke up early and were rushing because we needed to be to several different places that morning.

We pulled back our hair, threw on our shoes and we were off.

After wandering around for a few minutes, and letting the kid running the place finish up with his customers, I asked if they had chicks left.  He escorted us to the back room straight to a feed bin full of rust colored little babies.  I was a little sad that there wasn't a great variety of colored chicks to choose from, everything he showed us was of the same breed, which turned out to be Rhode Island Reds, and he assured us they were all hens (although there is always that chance that you get a Roo or two). 

We opted for 12 little babies (at $2.50 each why wouldn't you opt for 12?), grabbed chick started, a warming bulb, paid our $42 and off we went.  Above you can see the babies just after we got home soaking up the sun.  So smoochable and small!

Here are the ladies more recently with all their wing feathers in and back feathers starting to grow in

The great thing about having twelve identical birds is that I can't tell one from the other... making it very difficult to create a bond with them.  Bonding with my animals is what makes me a notoriously awful pet owner.  I take it very personal when an animal in my care is injured, sick, or dies. In fact it tears me apart on the inside... which causes me to get another animal in an attempt to make up for what was just lost.  I am somewhat of a controlled "animal hoarder". 

I realize I am, and I work very hard to keep myself under control. 

These are not a shy breed, and what I have read is that Rhode Island Reds can be a rather aggressive breed,  the roosters have been known to kill foxes who attempt to disrupt their flock...and as a group they will kill rodents who enter their coop.  These are things of which I'm not too concerned, as I can also be an aggressive breed.  ;)

I am hopeful that I do have a rooster, but worried that I will end up with more then two.  Apparently the Rhode Island Reds are one of the toughest breeds to sex ~ so I guess only time will tell what I've got!

 

Gardening 102

Just wanted to show progress on how the seeds are coming.  At this point I have planted two variety of cucumbers, yellow squash, and pumpkins along with two types of beans and chives. Of all the tomato seeds that we started I would say half have been killed my my lovely BatCat...aka Batgirl.  I know she can't help her curiousity ~ but she single handedly cut what little crop we may have been able to muster in half.

Being a beginning gardener is hard ... being a beginning gardener with a cat who loves dirt and green plants is darn near impossible!

         Next year I will need to work on finding a    greenhouse or some type of place to keep the seedlings out of harms way! But for now what I have growing is making me feel like a proud mama.

Watering them twice a day...is making me feel impatient!  This better be worth it :)