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Trail Rides and Kitties

November 10, 2015

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Over the weekend was the first time in forever my 3 kitties were together.  Being barn cats you wonder about their welfare when you don’t see them for a while.  So I captured the moment with them.  I hope the new owners are OK with them staying behind.

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Elvis, Patches & Mugsy

(I know what your thinking… No, I haven’t had any bites yet on the farm.  Showings have been fewer this time around, we thought we had a few good leads but it appears no one is ready to pull the trigger.)

On Sunday, we took Dalton, Apples and Chex on a trail ride around Green Lane.  It was a perfect fall day to get the horses out. Fresh air, open spaces and trials through the woods is a great way to clear the cob webs from your head.

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Goodbye Sunbun

November 1, 2015

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After being with us for almost 4 years we said goodbye to Sunbun.  Check out this arrival post here.

He is such a good boy and will definitely be missed.  Especially his treat face… he tilts his head sideways, stretches his neck and puckers his lips whenever there are treats around.

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This slide show is from his leaving day.  SB’s mom said he is doing good in his new farm and was a good boy during transport.

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A Calf Runs Through It

October 12, 2015

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So the other day I look out my office window (upstairs of my house) to see people walking through my woods.  A showing was here at the same time so I popped my head out to find out if it was them.  The individuals from the showing spoke to those walking through my property.  They said a calf escaped from a neighbor’s property and was running through my farm.

I went to feed that evening to find the horses still freaked out about the intruder.  I called them for dinner and they wouldn’t  come up.

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So I walked a little closer

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They were all just staring at me. I have never had them not want to come up for dinner so I walked out to them.

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Finally Apple was like “oh hey Mom,  OK I trust you and will follow you back to the barn for dinner”

IMG_0047But Chex needed a special invitation.  I had to walk back to get him, he was getting upset everyone was leaving him but was still too freaked out to go with them.

IMG_0049They all successfully came to the barn to eat dinner but it took a little while even after that to calm down.  I had no idea they would be that upset by a little cow.

The next morning all was well on the farm and I was feeling nostalgic for the farm and realizing the beauty of it and that I was leaving it all behind.  I took these pictures of George with the morning sun coming up behind him.

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Updates on the re-homed

September 30, 2015

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Cuervo is loved by his new family in NJ.  He seems to be fitting right in and doing really well.

CuervoCasey is enjoying semi-retirement, as he doesn’t have to do lessons anymore.  His new owner could not be happier with him.  He is best buddy is a grey named Ricochet. The two graze side-by-side, hang out in the same stall, and when one is taken from the other, they whinny and pace to get back together.

image1 image2Bilbo and Frodo are taking their time settling into their new home. They are being a little head strong and skittish for their new owner.  She was having trouble moving them from from one location to the next so she tried a training flag.  They flipped out when they saw it and tried to kill the flag like a dog would.  She said it was pretty funny and she had never seen anything like it. Luckily they have each other because the horses and cats on the farm are scared of them.  Hopefully they all will warm up to each other.

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Away you go Warlock

August 19, 2015

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Chex and Warlock are father and son they belong to my neighbor.

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Warlock has been with us since he was two and was broke to ride while here.  Unfortunately he is just not being utilized they way he should be so on Saturday he went to Rachael’s Rebel Ridge Farm for additional training, finishing and fine tuning his manner.  (He was getting a little pushy on the farm.)

This is what Rachael had to say about his arrival “Yesterday, Warlock was brought down to Rebel Ridge Farm. Warlock is a 4 year old Arabian Paint cross who will be trained for a few more months to get some extra miles on him.
He was first introduced to Rugar and Dalton over the fence and then they were all put out to pasture together. As you can see in the pictures, Rugar was a lot more interested then Dalton.”

Rachael thought Dalton remembered him from when Dalton used to live at GSF.

So Dad Chex is left behind.  He seems to be coping fine.  Yesterday he came over to help me and we snapped a selfie.

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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

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After

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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.

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.

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