This good question is worthy of thought.  Horses are beautiful, graceful, and powerful…but are they safe?  Blue Rock Horses and Farms’ motto is:  Safety First, Beauty Second.  This is taught to students here at the farm because:

A horse can kill intentionally.  A horse can kill unintentionally. 

It is hard to think in those terms, after all, they are so pretty!  So are Polar Bears…

“Put your horse brain on,” is probably heard from this instructor second only to, “Keep your heels down!”  For good reason.  Horses do not think like humans.  To be safe and stay safe around them, humans must learn the horse.  Reading good horse books is a wonderful way to learn, however,  observation is the best way to know horses.  Watching them interact with one another is an education in itself.    There is an obvious hierarchy and language among them that can be learned by careful observation.  They ‘speak’ to each other in many different ways, and indeed ‘speak’ to we humans as well.  So, pay close attention.  And remember, it takes time to learn another “language!”

Horses are not like dogs.  This must never be forgotten!  Dogs are prey animals, horses are preyed animals.   This is a huge and many, many times overlooked difference, and is a large factor in safety around horses.  Startle a dog,  it will jump, and we laugh.  Startle a horse, and we may be spitting out our own broken teeth!  Is this the fault of the horse?  Absolutely not!  Always make your presence known around the horse.

Always make your presence known around the horse.

When frightened, horses run away.  That is their first natural defense.  Often before fleeing they will look at what is causing the fear, then take flight.  For this reason, horses need to be tied loosely so they may keep an eye out for danger (or the boogie-man, as this instructor calls it!).   After-all, who wouldn’t keep an eye-out if you were someones potential lunch?

Tie and lead horses so they are able to look around and keep an eye on their surroundings.

Horses are as accurate in striking with their forelegs and with their hind ones.  The safest position is either right up next to them or way out of striking distance.  They have excellent aim!

So, are horses safe?  Yes!  Though a safe, knowledgable horseman is the best way to insure a safe horse.

Though sign was found on an old manufacturing plant, it rings true for horseman (or woman as well!).

These are minimum basics of safety around horses.  Hope it helps!

Falling snow, like the ever quiet steps of the cat, can hardly be heard as it dances joyfully to the ground.  It quiets the world in it’s ‘hushful’ way.  Everything seems under the cover of a snowfall.  But it is not all under cover.

So, for fun on this cold winter day, see if you can tell what the snow is revealing to those who take the time to look!  Answers at the end of blog.

#1?

#2?

#3?

#4?

#5?

#6?

#7?  (the big prints)

1.   Dog prints (in the header of this blog).
2.   Feed bucket (set it down to open gate).
3.   Cow imprint.
4.   Chicken imprint.
5.   Farmer’s boots.
6.   Bird imprints at bird feeder.
7.   Cat prints on rocks.
8.   Mystery!!  Saw these on the frozen pond and have no idea!  Any guesses?

Snow makes farm work laborious and in some areas dangerous.  That is a given.  Job description of farmer for many places would be incomplete without snow in it.  Though many would not complain of being ‘fair weather farmers’, the cold is taken in stride.  Just as is all the weather God gives we farmers.  Reminds this PFO (Primary Farm Operator) of the little poem read many years ago to this once house-full of little children:

Weather

Whether the weather be fine

Or whether the weather be not,

Whether the weather be cold

Or whether the weather be hot,

We’ll weather the weather

Whatever the weather,

Whether we like it or not.

Anonymous

We farmers are rather philosophical about it!

Know the farmer.  Know the farm.

Homemade is always best.

Purchasing hay for livestock is one of the most costly of all the never-ending expenses of farm life.  Running a tight ship on minimal cost is a challenge.  Purchasing hay from local feed stores is a sure way to pay more than one may want.  There are other avenues worth checking into.  Every feed store has a bulletin board.  Most likely there will be ads from local hay farmers advertising their hay for sale.  This will assure at least a couple dollars less per bale.  Asking farming friends where they purchase their supply is always a good idea, this PFO found her hay man this way.  It always pays to ask questions!  Another great way is to drive around the backroads of home.  Many times hand-painted signs are tacked upon fences advertising hay for sale.

Asking a farming friend helped this PFO find a hay farmer.  See him waving at the camera!

Thank goodness for Father Harry (FH), as he must travel often to pick up the needed supply.  The barn holds only so much.  But as anyone who knows farmers know how much they enjoy standing around talking about weeds, weather, feed, gardens, tools, etc. after work is done, makes this errand more of a social event than work!

Hay wagons stand quiet and still while waiting for the next season.

Livestock on this farm have eaten Lin’s hay for over a decade.  They lick it up!

FH (Father Harry) tying down a load of hay while chatting with Lin.

A fine friendship has developed over these years.  As long as Lin keeps making hay, Blue Rock Horses & Farm will keep purchasing it.

Dormant hay-wagons—

—-until next Spring.

Know the farmer.  Know the farm.

Homemade is always best.

Yesterday evening found this PFO (Primary Farm Operator), and FH (Father Harry) grandparents again!  Hooray!  Becoming a grandparent is far easier than becoming a new mommy.  The new family is close enough where help is a text message away, which is very exciting.

This makes grand-baby #6 for this Virginia family.  It is wonderful.  A brand new baby has all the hope of the future warmly wrapped in a snuggly blanket.  New grand-babies have a way of turning time backwards for this PFO.  To once again wander in those days when those bundles of future hope had Father Harry calling with the news of a new Bricker.  Of the many notions in this at-times-perplexing life, ‘time’ is the most perplexing of all.  Being out among the fields and mountains, or gazing at the sky one would hardly know that 25 years have marched by.  Yet, one look in the mirror will betray what the fields and mountains say!

Being twins assured the notion that rarely would much be done alone in this life.  Births of most all the children were attended in one form or fashion by one another.  Either one was having the baby while the other helped or visa versa. Being a mirror twin is rather like having one’s shadow with them all the time in living color!!

Being a mirror twin assured that little in life would be done alone.

“You mean there are TWO of you!”, a woman once remarked to my twinster.

So, when the shadow that was always following moved out west with her husband and family, twenty-five years ago, it rather felt as if the sun had stopped shining.   Solo—hmmm, new concept.   Those early years passed quickly with busy houses full of children.  Yet, as the place empties and the little footsteps are replaced with silence, being solo hits hard sometimes.  So now visits come more often.  Father Harry has always known he got a two-fer when he walked that aisle light years ago.  He has been a good sport about it too (as have all the husbands!).  Two of the same in one house can be a bit much.

More visits are required now that children are grown.  Father Harry is a great sport about it.

The last visit just recently ended and thus has this PFO a little gloomy.  What old age will look like for these set of twins that live so far apart can stir up some angst.  Until then the horses will continue to carry them into the woods where time stands still, and hope indeed springs eternal.

Until then the horses will carry them into the woods…

“Time well spent”, familiar words from long ago.  Having an air of a gate-keeper, these words question the value of where and how one spends this limited commodity called ‘time’.  Recently they returned to this PFO (Primary Farm Operator) as apples of gold in settings of silver.  Which, of course, requires an explanation.

The riding school here at Blue Rock Horses is solid and basic.  Students learn about horses from the ground up.  Everything learned on the ground transfers to the back of horse.  Here students are the groom, mucker (i.e. they clean horse poo), hayman, keeper of their own tack, groom their own horse, pick horses hooves and tack them themselves.  Oh yes, they must fetch their horse from the paddock as well.  Then they are ready to ride.

They are ready to ride after they have done all the ground work.

Competing in horse shows is not a focus of this school.  But what horse and rider does not love an audience?  Knowing this, Blue Rock Horses has developed a unique way to do just that–-Blue Rock Horses & Farm Riding Recital!

Students showcase their individual skills as well as drill skills.

Held annually, each student has the opportunity to showcase their horsemanship skills to recital attendees.  Every student and horse has strengths at different levels, and our recital gives them the opportunity to exhibit their growth over the year.  It also is a wonderful way for parents to see how their hard earned money is working for the student.

Every student and horse has unique skills.

Afterwards, students give pony rides to interested guests, answer questions, and enjoy goodies!

October is recital month, and plans are underway for next year!  There is work to be done, and fun to be had!

Students gave pony rides to guests, including grandma!

As guests were departing, one real cool grandma remarked with an earnest smile,”  Thank YOU!  It was time well spent!”

Yes, apples of gold in settings of silver.  Thank you, Nancy, for that lovely comment!

Thank you, Nancy, for the lovely compliment,”  It was time well spent!”

Homemade is best

Know the farmer.  Know the farm.

This is a fine question for those that ever think of the source of their food consumed.  Exactly what does it mean? Well, first off, it does not mean the cheapest.  The cheapest is—well, just that, cheap.  It’s akin to wanting a Nerf gun with all the coolness of Nerf and going to a dollar store to get one—-kindly excuse this PFO’s country expression—“Ain’t goin’ to happen.”

Dresses are a thing, a real BIG thing for this PFO.  Yet though the event is not about the dress, it surely makes an impact.  Just take a quick gander at all the lovely wedding facebook/instagram pages out in cyber-space.  Yes!  The dress does help!  What guy ever wants to marry a gal in sloppy, sack-of-a-dress dress?  So what’s the point?  This,  the things we choose do make a difference in our lives.  Food is no different, no different at all.

Just as a stone dropped in water affects the water to the very edge, so too do our decisions about food.

We ‘vote’, so to speak, with with our money.  And just as a stone is dropped into the water and gently ripples out to the very edge of the stream, so too our money affects our food and how it is produced.  We tell the world what is important to us through our dollars, and how we spend them.  If we are willing to spend good money on a good dress, should we also not be willing to spend good money on good, real food?  For our good food choices will add far more to the length and quality of our lives over any chosen dress (this PFO is fainting slightly at this thought!).

Here at Blue Rock Horses & Farm, our mantra is:  Know the Farmer, Know the Farm.  You are invited to come visit us at any time (except between 6 p.m.-5 a.m. as we go to bed with the chuckles!). We would sure enjoy showing you how we do things out here on this little farm.  This little farm, full of good and carefully cared for animals/food, that has been entrusted to us.  We, this PFO and FH, take this very seriously.

Know the farmer.  Know the farm. 

The morning broke with clouds and rain.  The outing was to be cancelled.  That at least was the plan.  But the best laid plans of mice and men…

So at 7:30 a.m. that very morning word came, the elderly folks were indeed making their trip to visit the farm and would arrive at 10:30.  This place was not the place to be for those well-organized minded folks.  Instantly, the farm turned into a ‘just-been-hit’ beehive!  A place needed to be cleared in the garage for the visitors.  Do not miss that point–-in the garage!   Say it ain’t so!   This room has the strictest of orders to not be open to visitors, and now it must receive guests?   To say orders were flying like a mad Army sergeant is polite speak.  How does one turn ‘messy, dirty’ into ‘marvelous, and delightful’ in less than 3 hours, get 6 bedraggled horses looking beautiful, gather up chickens that do not like rain, and keep wet dogs away from dry visitors?

The visitors were indeed coming in spite of the rain!  In the garage of all places!!

Whoopie is eager to greet our guests.

Teamwork!  That is what gets it done.  Everyone knew their job that had to be done to make it lovely for our special guests, and they did it and then some. So special thanks go out to Helen Bricker, the Activities Co-ordinator at Westminster-Canterbury, who planned the outing,  Josh Dudley, her able-bodied boyfriend, and Sarah Stanley, our capable horse-handler and riding student here at the farm.  A hearty, hearty Thank YOU!!

Sarah, and Helen showing the Bigs to our special guests.

The chuckles made everyone happy by their appearance!

A hearty, hearty Thank You to all those that worked fast and hard to get this put together with last minute plan changes!

Homemade is Best

Know the farmer, know the farm.

Three years ago next month we drove away for the last time.  We knew it was coming, and had been preparing for it over two years.  That made it none the easier.  We were packing up and leaving our mothers’ beloved home, Tag-Along Farm in Alleghany County, Virginia.  It had been sold, and the time had come for our final adieu.  We two sets of twins had buried our mother, emptied the house, divided up those treasures we wanted and hoped would remind us of the twenty-five plus years we have so loved this land and farm our mother was devoted to.

The persimmons are ripe!

The four miniature horses, left from Mom’s many years of breeding, showing and selling miniatures,  came to live with this PFO.  They have been happily living here on the new farm for over two years.  Instagram, texting and emails are a fun and easy way to keep everyone up-to-date on the Littles and what they are doing.  They are busy entertaining folks who visit out here at Blue Rock Horses & Farm.  They love company, attention, and especially treats.  They all are seniors, BR being the oldest.  He is 30 years old.  They were all foaled on our mother’s farm.  The pressure is on, for this PFO has three sets of eyes lovingly interested in their welfare!  It is an easy, privileged job.

BR is the oldest.  He is 30 years old.

And now the persimmons are ripe and dropping off the trees.

Clearing fence rows has been a big, ongoing job our Farm Manager, who has deftly handled this mess for the past several months.  He is big, and taking on big jobs is extra-fun for him.  This is good, because these fence rows have not seen a trimming in many years.  The best part—he has cleared out the persimmon trees!  If the Littles could speak, they would be cheering!

It took no time for Raggedy to ask for his treat!

Snowbell knew exactly what was in store for her.

They ate them so fast, a photo could not catch it!

Yum, yum, Gone!  Clarette says.

So as the sweet treats are joyfully consumed by the chunky, happy minis, this PFO drifts back to a sweet time in younger days.   Days on a beloved farm laughing and sharing life with our mother and one another.   Sweet, sweet persimmons…