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And they are back…

August 19, 2015

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I bet my neighbors are wondering why they are hearing donkey’s braying again…

FB_20140401_21_36_43_Saved_PictureSo unfortunately the donkeys did not do their job.  I think they did not have enough time to adjust to their new life and surroundings.   I received a call from the farm asking me to come get them because a coyote got one of their sheep in the middle of the night. So we made the 1 1/2 hour trip back to NJ.  This time they walked right on to the trailer.  Until the farmer scared them when he tried to close the back of the trailer. Then they refused to go back on.  Since they are small but mighty they decided to push and pull them on and it worked okay. 

When we got back to the farm, the horses were glad to see them back at the farm and followed them around for a while.

Their next home is already lined up just waiting on the ferrier to come out and trim their hooves first.  I think this one will work out because all they have to do is eat grass, and I know they are good at that.

Good Bye Sweet Donkeys

August 10, 2015

Golden Spike Farm Farm Activities, Farm Animals , , 1 Comment

So the farm has been very quiet lately…  We do not hear the sound of Bilbo and Frodo braying any more because we brought them to  their new home last Wednesday.

Loading was fun!  You would not believe how strong and stubborn these little guys are. There was not way we could force them on so it was coaxing with carrots, treats and grain.  After 1/2 hour we finally did get them loaded.

WP_20150805_18_35_39_Pro WP_20150805_18_35_57_Pro WP_20150805_18_36_24_Pro WP_20150805_18_36_35_ProTheir new farm is beautiful and they now have a job: to protect the farmer’s herd of sheep.  So we walked them off of the trailer and into their new pasture of lush grass.  They were very good.  Not scared and not pulling on the leads.  At the time there were only 2 sheep in a small section of the field but they are getting more.  We let them go to eat grass and explore on their own.  The happily walked away munching.

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After a little bit they came back over to us.  Gave me the opportunity to say good buy before heading back home.

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The gentleman who runs the farm was telling us a little bit about the area. They have a yearly fox hunt, something I have always wanted to do.  The best part for me was all the farms have sections of the fence with actual jumps in them so as a horseback rider on a trail ride you have access to all the land in all of the surrounding farms.  Each farm is about 100 acres, can you imagine we could ride for days!

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream

July 29, 2015

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Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.

~William Shakespeare

Take pains. Be perfect.

~William Shakespeare

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Though she be but little, she is fierce!

~William Shakespeare

The course of true love never did run smooth.

~William Shakespeare

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Lord, what fools these mortals be!

~William Shakespeare

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And yet,to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays.

~William Shakespeare

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My soul is in the sky.

~William Shakespeare

Bye Bye Casey, Bye Bye

July 4, 2015

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This past Saturday (July 4th) was another day for my heavy heart, Casey went to his new home.

But first on Friday he had his last lesson on the farm with one of his favorite lesson girls.

Apple was looking quite dapper that that day too with his matching buckstitch reins, breastplate and saddle.  I think I need a better looking saddle pad though. (Buckstitch is my new word of the week.  I learned it from Facebook when someone used the word to describe a halter I am selling)

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Then the Ferrier came to give Casey and the gang one last Pedicure. Oh look and there is Riley again

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Barry found Sunbun’s hoof hair line wound was growing out with a whole in the hoof wall, but he fixed him right up with an epoxy type glue and a screwed on plate.

Before

Before

After

After

Casey’s moving day started with out a hitch.  NO literally, we didn’t have the hitch for the truck to pull the trailer, but that was soon resolved and the ball & hitch was delivered to us.  Casey’s new family decided to video him loading video on the trailer. He is such a good boy!

Here are some pictures of him in his new home.  Nothing phased him at all.  He went straight out to eat grass.  He has a new buddy and pasture mate named Ricochet.  Two of the pictures below were sent to me from his new owners.  They gave me a thank you card with horse quote stickers on the envelop.  I put those quotes on his pictures.

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Going Bitless?

July 2, 2015

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I have all these bits from when I was riding as a teen. Two examples are:

  • Slow twisted snaffle
  • Double copper twisted snaffle

I decided this week that I wasn’t going to use these.  They are too harsh and don’t need them.

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Riding Bitless – I found this article that makes a lot of sense http://www.thinklikeahorse.org/index-7.html  I still use bits but try to use the least harsh ones.  So it has me thinking I wonder how Apple would do with a bitless bridle.  He is the one that like to go fast.

Maybe I will try out that bosal I am selling on him.

Summer Clear out – Selling a few things

June 30, 2015

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Everything is Horse sized (unless noted otherwise) if you need exact lengths I can measure. If you want more detailed pictures let me know. Everything is negotiable and package deals are encouraged

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Halters and leads

Lead line with chains Green and black $5 each
Red halter with lead $10
Blue halter $5
Fly guard attaches like a headband to halter $5 each
Leather Halter with brown and white with lead $30
leather show halter with silver pices $30
leather halter $20

Mini or Foal things

Western cinch 20 inches $10
fly mask foal sized $15
Halter foal sized $10
Western Saddle blanket $10
Brown mini nylon bridle with matching breast plate, brand new $20
Black and Purple pony nylon bridle with matching breast plate, brand new $20

Bridle related

Bosal – braided rawhide $20
Nose band with braided rawhide $15
Cheek pieces of a bridle with braided rawhide $10
Noseband Regular $10
Noseband dropped with matching headband $15
Figure 8 noseband $20
Noseband Regular $20
Western Headstall needs rivets $20
Western head band $5
English smooth reins dark brown $20
English smooth reins light brown $20
Western barrel reins with suede $20

Saddle related

running martingale $20
standing martingale $20
English breast plate $30
leather latigo $10
nylon latigo $5

A little about me that I submitted for my work’s newsletter

June 30, 2015

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Employee Spotlight- Jen Frasier; Project Manager 2

I currently live in Quakertown, PA where I am fulfilling my lifelong dream of owning and managing a small horse farm. I didn’t start out here though. I am originally from Miami, FL where I had my first pony in the front yard by 7th grade. After college I became an Au Par to my cousin who lived just outside of London. After my 6 month contract with them was up I ended up staying in England for another 2 ½ years. It was there that “by accident” I discovered clinical research. My first job in the field was with a CRO that is also based in Radnor, PA. When I got home sick they paid for my transfer to that office.

Several jobs, homes and “manfriends” later I am running my own 10 acre farm called Golden Spike Farm. I teach riding lesson to kids and adults just for fun. I really love to watch their confidence grow as they gain the skills needed to handle these gentle giants. I also board other people’s horses. My favorite thing to do is trail ride. Right now my furry friends consist of 3 horses, 2 miniatures spotted donkeys, 2 goats, 2 rescued dogs, 1 foster dog (looking for a home) and 4 barn cats. I have a picture blog where I post pictures and stories of the farm for my friends and family to keep up to date. Feel free to check it out at http://www.goldenspikefarm.com.

I am very fortunate to have a work from home job that allows me to take care of the horses in the morning and evening instead of commuting to and from work. For 2 ½ years now I have been working with a small group in Janssen responsible for piloting innovation in clinical trials. Research & Development Operations Innovation (or RDO-I & formerly known as CTI) collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to evaluate innovative solutions that have the potential to reduce cost and cycle times for clinical trials. From my perspective it is a “cool little niche” to be part of. I have the opportunity to explore many technical advances and manage the process to pilot these innovations in clinical trials.

Pictured with me is Nash a Tennessee Walking Horse I rescued. A professional photographer volunteered her time and services to a fund raising campaign for his surgery. Sadly Nash is no longer with me, he survived the surgery just fine and passed away last fall from an unrelated illness. Life is fragile for even the most resilient.

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Very interesting article on Equine Therapy

June 24, 2015

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“Horses make great companions for psychotherapy because they can mirror and respond to human behavior. Being herding animals, they rely on an acute stream of sensory data to sense safety or danger; they can also hear the human heartbeat within four feet, and research on heart-rate variability indicates that horses have a profound ability to synchronize their own heartbeat with that of human beings. When people are introduced to the herd environment for therapy, horses respond within the same spectrum of physical and emotional responses that govern their own behavior, allowing therapists an insight into the inner psychology of the client.” ~ in San Juan Capistrano

You can read the full article on The Guardian’s website.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

June 20, 2015

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So with the decision to sell the farm I started to prepare for the move and make decisions on what to keep and what to take.  I decided to find new homes for my goats.  Just this week I sold my last two.  It is a little weird walking out the front door and not hear them talking to me.

I am still looking for a home for the Donkeys. I think my price maybe a little high at $700 for the pair.  But I am in no rush to sell so I will drop the price when I have to.

Last Saturday I sold Cuervo.  My heart felt heavy after that one.  He has been here for so long and has been a great horse for so many riders and friends that leased him.  I was glad to find a good home for him as he is getting up there and has his issues & quirks.

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Casey is going to his new home on July 4th. One of my lesson students and her mom decided that they wanted to give him a forever home.  He is such a good boy and I will miss him but he will be happy with them.

Stand up; Heels up; heels down

Stand up; Heels up; heels down

So it has taken me some time to come around to admitting the changes to my lesson program.  Apple is really only good for experience riders.  Chex is doing great and available for beginner to advanced beginner riders.  Heather just had some veterinary care, she as scratched open 2 tumors.  She has melanomas originating from the cells that produce skin pigment (melanin).  (A high percentage of gray horses over 15 years of age develop melanomas.)  So hopefully she will be back in action in July for my smaller lesson kids.

I also hope to find a free lease maybe starting in August, when I take the farm off the market.

In the mean time Rachael is starting lessons at her family farm and will be taking some of my students that have been riding Casey and Cuervo, to ride her horses and continue their lesson program over there.

Decisions

June 20, 2015

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At the beginning of the year I made 2 decisions:

  1. Start fostering one dog at a time to help the rescue Critter Cavalry. My first one was Missy and now I have Jett aka Cecilia
  2. Move out of PA to live closer to my family (especially my nieces).

So I put the farm on the market at the end of January.  It is a very unique property so I knew I would take a while to sell. During this time I am waiting for my family to purchase a home in California.  The housing market there is so crazy that they have actually given themselves a year to buy. If they don’t find a place in a year, they will be looking to move maybe to Austin,Texas. So I have decided to wait to move until they buy a place. I have not had any luck selling the farm, the contract with the realtor is up at the end of July.  So I will wait it out and take it off the market at that point to wait for the family decision on where we are living.

My parents and I went to visit Austin in May and loved it.  We have family and friends there, so I am secretly pulling for Texas.  Here are a couple of pictures from that trip.

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