Fiona Goes To Church

A few years ago, we took ten of our Dexter Cattle to the County Fair.  Little four month old Fiona was tied up closest to where we were camped out during the day and this is what happened:

This last picture shows how cowlicks are really created.

Our son, John, and little Fiona bonded during the Fair.  They have grown up together since then and Fiona actually belongs to our son.  She is now three and a half years old and he is almost five years old.  She adores him.  All of our cows are friendly, but she is the most persistent about checking your pockets when you walk through the pastures and following you around like a big puppy.  She is polite and not at all pushy about her affections, which makes her ideal around children.  She is also our photobomb cow.  If you try to take a picture of the pasture or scenery, she will pop in looking for handouts.  Here is her hopeful look as I was taking pictures just yesterday:

Two weeks ago, I was asked to assist with our church's Vacation Bible School Program.  There were over 100 children, ages 3-10 attending.  I helped teach various subjects through the week.  Friday called for a lesson involving farm animals.  I took Phoenix, our therapy horse, Donkeyotee, our sweet donkey, and Fiona.  Friday morning began early as I haltered and bathed all three in the predawn hours to keep allergens down as well as keep them cool during the long trailer ride into town.  I loaded them into our three horse trailer, with Fiona hopping right up into the last stall.  I set up a portable corral for Fiona in the shade and spent time soothing her with some grooming.  The horse and donkey were set up in another pen next to the trailer.  We had two picnic tables acting like bleachers in front of a grassy area and I walked each animal up to introduce them to the children.  Then, the children were allowed to feed a treat to one of them.  I picked Fiona for the littlest kids because of her size and how easy it is to feed her a molasses horse biscuit (her favorite).  The little ones giggled at her sticky long tongue and "wet, doggy nose".  After the presentation, kids were allowed to walk around and visit with the animals in their pens.  I monitored closely for signs of stress, but, if anything, the animals relaxed more as the day progressed.

Fiona is exactly, not only what a Dexter cow should be, but what a family cow should be.  She's friendly, easy to handle, gentle and intelligent.  She learns quickly and adapts to new routines remarkably.  Everyone was fascinated with Fiona's size and personality and I think there are many new Dexter cattle fans in our area.  One young girl even asked her dad for a cow for her birthday!

Regrettably, I can't show you the happy smiles from the children, for privacy reasons, but here is a picture of Fiona enjoying her day with the kids:

Gus The Feral Shetland Pony

Donkeyotee and Phoenix have been turned out together since Donkey was 7 months old.  In fact, when designing our horse barn, we built an extra big stall at one end so they could share winter quarters.  They love to tussle and play fight, but the vet said 'no more'.  Phoenix is 21 years old this year and was diagnosed with navicular.  He is sound enough for light riding, but has more bad days than good when he roughhouses with Donkey, so our vet recommended that they be separated.  Poor Donkey pouted this winter in his private corral.  We decided he needed a little companion. Fortunately, I heard about a Shetland Pony that lost his donkey companion and was also pouting. Good fit, right?

Well, except that the pony was feral.  He didn't even have a name.  I went to meet him anyway.  The owners had trapped him in a cattle chute, using feed, then wrestled him into a corner and put a halter on him. They told me the last time they did this, he got the halter off by rubbing his head on the ground until it came over his ears and off his head. They had given up on him and were going to send him to a bad auction here in Florida (along with cull cows, if that gives you any idea of the type of auction).  When I met him, he was shaking from fear while the two owners held him with two lead ropes.  I asked if I could try to lead him and used treats to get his attention (it worked).  He did seem to quiet a little as I walked calmly and carefully.  I led him around their yard and he seemed eager to please despite his fear.  I told them that I would take him if he loaded into my trailer. Of course he walked right in!  He is 10.1 hands tall and his previous owners did not know his age because he came from a neighbor.  His height and build mean he is too large for a mini and clearly in the Shetland Pony size range.  He also has the leg feathering and stockiness of a Shetland.  In honor of his Scottish origins, I named him Feargus (Gus for short).  He is a lovely little silver bay colored pony.

Here's Gus that first day:

At home, I carefully unloaded him into our round pen for quarantine since his vaccine history was unknown, his deworming schedule was non-existent, and his feet were in bad shape. Knowing his halter tricks, I took it off.  I started off by just feeding him treats and getting him used to a lead rope moving around him.  Soon enough, he had a relaxed eye around me so we moved on to touching.  He was itchy and this went very well.  I worked with him as often as possible and gained his trust enough to halter him a few times.  I did get a fecal sample checked and it was negative.  After he had been here for a month, I let Donkeyotee in with his new friend.

You can see how much of a pest Donkey is in this video, but he just wanted to play.  By the next morning, it was obvious that Gus was in charge.

Donkeyotee and Gus

Finally, after several more sessions and a formal move into the horse barn with Donkey, Gus was ready for his vet visit.  I arranged for the farrier the same day.  Poor little pony was looked at from head to toe!  He was fully vaccinated, dewormed, trimmed, teeth checked, gelding verified and a Coggins was drawn.  He is 7 years old, his teeth are good, his hooves are much better now, and he is a gelding (YAY!).  All this meant he earned his freedom.  Out to pasture to graze with his new pal, Donkey.  The farm is quieter now.  Donkeyotee is no longer trying to disassemble fences to get in with Phoenix or pouting in that polished donkey way.  Everyone seems content with the new arrangements.  And, best of all, Gus the Feral Shetland Pony is now Gus the Tame Shetland Pony.

All groomed up and dappled:

Incredi-Bull

Remember that fabled trip north from Florida to donate two of our Dexters to a children's farm in Virginia and pick up our new eight month old baby bull?  Yes, the trip where my dear husband and I journeyed with our two year old son over 650 miles and lived to tell about it.

Well, that little bull has grown up.  Armstrong of Paradise is just over two years old and he looks great!

Please excuse the hay on his head.  He had just pulled his head out of the round bale feeder.

He is short in stature, well within the height standards, and has a lovely temperament.  He is gentle and easy to work with.  He also loves oranges, bread, and horse treats.  He can be hand fed treats by our preschooler.  He is a long-legged, Chondrodysplasia free, PHA free, and homozygous for A2/A2 beta casein.  That big mouthful essentially means that he doesn't carry the dwarf gene or a deleterious recessive gene for pulmonary hypoplasia with anascara, and his daughters have the potential to make lovely milk cows.  He has a beefy build and his dam had a lovely shaped udder.

If he had a personal ad, it would read something like this:

"Short, dark, and handsome seeks numerous short term affairs with lady cows.  Likes long ambles through the pasture, snuggling, treats, and mutual grooming.  Muscular build and a true male, but knows how to treat a she-bovine."

I knew he was special but I didn't know he would be in demand.  After some encouragement, and a big fat check from his breeder to pre-pay me for some of his straws, I took him to what we will call "Happy Camp".  The artificial insemination facility will collect 300 straws so we can share this good bull with Dexter cows all over the US.  It really is a nice thing to own such an animal.  I hope next year, I will see pictures of some of his calves produced by other breeders.

Our goal as Dexter breeders is to produce good tempered cattle that have a sound build and, that Holy Grail of cattle breeding; a true dual purpose animal for both dairy and beef.   We breed only long-legged cattle and sell our heifers as family milk cows.  Several of our cows are currently making gourmet cheese.  Some animal breeders might prefer to keep their best animals to themselves, but we feel that anything that improves these friendly little cows, keeps them employed and useful, will also help ensure that they will continue to be around 100 years from now.  Since we really enjoy these little guys, that makes us smile.

A New Beginning

This past June, I found my new trail horse.  She needed a new beginning desperately and I needed a riding horse.  Sometimes things just come together perfectly.

After I lost my beloved horse, Allie, I dismissed the idea of another horse until winter.  Maybe even spring.  It hurt to see her empty stall but I wasn't in any hurry to find a replacement.  I heard about a breeder of nice Quarter Horses and looked for an ad someone told me about on Ocala's Craigslist.  Not the best place to look for horses, but I was curious.  Ocala is a horse mecca so perhaps their Craigslist horses are much higher caliber.

I saw the following ad:

"Registered Morgan mare $250"

What the heck?  A Morgan?  Those are expensive horses.  The kind of horses one dreams about now and again but they are much too pricey.  It's like wanting a BMW but only having enough money for a Hyundai.  Then, of course, one must ask, what's wrong with the horse?  That's a kill buyer price, which is not a good sign.

The seller was a bit difficult to talk to but my instincts said to go look and bring a trailer.  The poor mare was 22 years old, skinny, depressed, had improper hoof care, and an eye that needed attention (untreated injury from over a year before).  Miraculously, she came with the proper registration papers, although it was not the seller's name on the papers.  Hmm.  After seeing how pitiful she looked, I just paid the guy cash and got her out of there.  After settling her into our round pen and setting up an appointment with our vet, I contacted the owner on the papers to make sure she wasn’t stolen.  The previous owner was relieved to hear from me.  The mare fell through the cracks after a lease to own type situation that went very wrong.  The previous owner was not in a position to take her so, with her blessing, I registered her in my name.  Wow, my first Morgan!  I have admired the breed for a long time but have owned mostly stock horses or Quarter Horse/Arabian crosses.

(Her first day in our round pen)

The first step was to give her a thorough vet evaluation and gain her trust (she was flighty and unsure at first).  She only took a few days before she was following me around.  She needed boosters of everything since the previous owner could produce no vaccine records of any kind for the year and a half he owned her.  A trip to the local veterinary school for a thorough eye exam revealed good and bad news.  She was blind in her right eye but it had healed in such a way that the eye should not cause her any further trouble and did not need to be removed.  It was right around the Fourth of July, so we named her Libby (Liberty). 

I am amazed at the combination of spirit and tractability of Morgans.  These were the US Calvary horses that carried generals.  In fact, her breeding is from UVM, which was the government's breeding program.

As I worked with her through the summer, she adapted quickly to being handled on her blind side.  Long grooming sessions relaxed her and I taught her a few verbal commands so she knew what to expect even if she couldn’t see it.  She filled out nicely and her coat changed to a lovely dark chestnut color. The saddle and bridle changed her demeanor from quiet and alert to proud and bold. She arched her neck and moved beside me like paintings of classic horses from long ago. Perfectly obedient and responsive but spirited and musical in motion. She was lovely. Truly this is the breed that generals rode into battle. 

The local Morgan Horse community was extremely helpful in giving me information on her background and training.  Many different people compared notes and I received a call from the lady that originally saddle trained Libby!  It was wonderful to hear about how she was as a young filly.  I am impressed and thankful for at the amount of support I have received from other Morgan Horse enthusiasts.  A local Morgan trainer came out for the first ride.  Libby was tractable but very reactive inside the round pen.  She moved with exaggerated animation and perhaps a little trepidation.  The saddle-seat training Morgan show horses receive can be quite intensive.  On subsequent rides, I felt her coil underneath me like a spring, ready to throw her legs out and move.  Instead, I found that if I halted her and began to rub her neck, she relaxed.  I used verbal commands to ask her to move and she did move more quietly.  She is a lot of horse but we seem to be developing a language to communicate.  She has a good mind so she is coming around just fine.  She is very affectionate.  She nuzzles me and gently puts her head against my chest.  Outside of the arena, she relaxes and goes very nicely.  I took her out to a local trail recently and she did very well.  I have a new trail horse!

Cat Drama

Why, oh why, did the happy feline peace that existed on our farm turn into kitty WWIII?

We have, against our better judgment, three indoor kitties in relative bliss. We also have two outdoor barn cats that each had separate buildings to thrive and enjoy chomping the heads off small scampering critters. All's well, right?

Not anymore. Barn kitty number 1, Bagheera, is a black, spayed female. To simply state that she dislikes other cats is like saying Osama Bin Laden disliked Americans. No, this little beast HATES other cats with malicious intent. However, she had the big hay barn all to her spiteful self.

Barn kitty number 2 is Ginger, our sweet, older barn kitty.  She is a professional barn cat that actually came to us from a larger barn where she was in a managerial position (you should see her resume). This was definitely a step down for her, but she wanted a quiet job to enjoy semi-retirement. We had just built our horse barn feed room with a built-in cat door. Ginger adapted well and ran her side of the yard with expertise. Ginger also came to us with her own cat tree, (her office) which we placed in her domain.

Well, this summer, Bagheera noticed certain perks about living in the tack room versus the hay barn and she pulled off a rather nasty takeover.

Ginger, instead of moving into the hay barn, hid under the tack room floor and insisted on being fed by the horse stalls, even with the risk of suffering from Bagheera's wrath. We were plotting as to how to coax her into the hay barn when she relocated herself to our back porch. She now wants to be an indoor kitty really badly. As in, the little creature is holding a kitty vigil by our sliding glass door and giving us cute looks while we eat our meals. We are currently feeding her on the back porch, but, now what? We don't want to upset the indoor environment, nor do we want to risk the indoor kitties starting to spray because of her presence just outside.  My husband, like all men, is somewhat preoccupied when he comes home at night, but he CAN count.  Three cats suddenly turning into four would be a little obvious.  Unlike many men, he actually knows all the cats' names. 

Arrrrgh! Why don't cats honor peace treaties?

An Old Horse's Dream

He was a working horse.  His grey coat was white from age as he was saddled up every morning and tied to the hitching post to await passengers at a resort up north.  His job was long and hard.  He endured the annoying clumsy kicks and sudden yanks on his bridle from impatient green riders.  Large and small, Heavy and light, green and experienced:  He carried them all through the prime of his life and beyond into his aged years.  Sometimes, a timid little hand reached up with a treat or a pat.  A wide smile on a young face when he lowered his head to sniff them.  Finally, one day his weight began to drop and his ration would no longer suffice.  A busy rental stable hasn't the time to individually care for older horses requiring TLC.  So, he was sold.

A mother and her two sons came for him.  His new home had sparse pasture and his new owners knew nothing about caring for an older horse.  In the harsh northern winter, he was turned out to fend for himself.  Complaints about the "skinny white horse" caused him to be advertised as "free" on Craigslist to get rid of him quickly.  After all, the boys had  become bored of their new toy months ago.

His luck seemed to change.  A knowledgeable lady saw his ad and picked up the skinny old horse.  She fed him and watched his weight return a little, but his teeth needed work and he had digestive issues.  More than she could afford with her own horses to care for.  So, she appealed to her network of horse owning friends.  A rescue a few states away offered to take him if he could be shipped.  He was loaded and hauled south.  He was fed well, but his teeth were still not looked at and his digestive upsets continued.  Then, the rescue was folding due to the economy.  All rescue horses had to go.

An inquiry from a family in Florida brought another trip in a trailer and another new start.  Finally, he was evaluated and re-evaluated until his issues were sorted out.  His digestive upsets were because his back teeth were worn down to stubs.  They could not effectively chew hay anymore so the hay he was fed was causing persistent diarrhea, weight loss, recurrent choke and colic.  The solution was no more hay.  A senior feed with some water was his new diet, plus medicine for his melanoma.  Now he gained weight and held it.  The burns down his legs from the diarrhea healed up.  He stopped colicking and choking on his food.  The new owners were a father and mother with a baby.  They thought he was a dear old horse and deserved to be cared for in his twilight years after serving so long as a dude ranch horse.  A quiet retirement; no riding, no work, just rest.

Then, one day, after a few years in his new home, he was needed.  The baby was now a small boy ready for his first ride.  The mother carefully saddled the old horse, checking and re-checking the saddle fit.  A hackamore was used rather than a bridle because she noticed a melanoma lump on his lip where a bit might put pressure.  The mother rode first, just walking, to see that he was safe.  Then, the boy was hoisted up into the saddle peering excitedly from under his helmet.  Cries of delight as the little boy clutched the old horse's mane.  After the brief ride, the boy stood in front of the horse and reached up to pat his chest.  The old horse lowered his nose and the boy hugged his face.  The old horse closed his eyes and held very still.  The boy kissed him.

The mother worried about the old horse so no more rides.  He was groomed and petted and the boy fed him treats, but no more riding.

Then, again, he was needed.  The same thing happened.  The boy was now able to sit in the saddle by himself while his mother led him around the farm.  The boy exclaimed from the old horse's back, "Wow!  I can see the whole world!".  The old horse sighed happily as he gently carried his young charge.  His eyes were bright and responsive.  The mother noticed the change in his attitude.  She saw contentment, calmness, and...a sense of duty?  She had thought retirement was best but this old horse didn't want to be left out.  He was more affectionate whenever he had something to do.  He was truly happier with a job.  Maybe old horses, just like old dogs and even old people, don't want to be forgotten or tucked away.  They want to be part of a family.  They want to be useful and needed.  So, a little work for the old horse from now on.  Only 30 minutes a few times a week.  Or 10 minutes, if 30 is too much.  A light rider (just walking is enough)..  A child to love him.  Light riding, lots of grooming, and plenty of treats should be enough to keep him happy.

Andy is our old horse and this is his story.  This is how I learned that the best thing for an older, sound horse is to need them.  Make them feel useful.  And allow yourself to be humbled by their sense of duty.

Celtic Festival Adventure

I must admit that one of my favorite things to do is to share gentle animals with people that don't normally have a chance to see them, especially children.  Our son is lucky enough to grow up on a farm (although ask him how lucky he feels in a few years when he has a list of daily chores) but many, many kids never get to see a real cow, horse, pony or donkey.  All of our animals are friendly and gentle.  Some seem to have a special knack for interacting with children.  Our AQHA gelding, Phoenix, is wonderful with everyone.  Donkeyotee is also exceptional.  Those two enjoy visits from children and even happily trailer out to our son's pre-school or our church picnic to enjoy attention.  Our Shetland Pony, Maggie, has proven to be quite a little ham and has an entire trick routine she does for kids at the Scottish Games every year.  Our small herd of Dexter Cattle are also quite interested in visitors and come running to the fence to inspect for treats or enjoy a little scratch.  Our friendliest cow is Fiona, our son's cow.  It should be no surprise that we agreed to bring a few cows to a local Celtic Festival.  It was held this past weekend in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day next weekend.  I think they started a week early so they could invite the Scots and the Welsh to play, too.


First, a few pictures of the event.  Of course, the Scots brought along their kilts and pipes. 

However, this was surprising...Star Wars stormtroopers....in kilts?!

Our 3 1/2 year old son just saw "Star Wars" for the first time recently (only the original) and was smitten over Princess Leia.  There was a young lady with one of the stormtroopers that our son was absolutely certain was the real Princess Leia.  So, they were nice enough to take a picture with him.

They had so much going on at this festival from a full St. Patrick's Day parade, to character storytellers, beer booths with real Guinness, several Irish and Scottish bands, and even St. Augustine's own pirates joined in the fun.  The predominate color was green followed by Scottish plaid. 


After consulting with our veterinarian, we decided to take Bonny and her very young calf, Gráinne, who was born on March 1st and is healthy and strong.  Bonny is a very affectionate cow with us but more reserved with strangers.  It made me a little concerned about her reaction to strangers near her very young calf but her base temperament is stable and calm so we obtained a health certificate for her and her nine day old calf. 


I tried to consider things from every angle to ensure I was providing for her comfort as well as for the enjoyment of the public.  We parked the trailer behind the portable corral and blocked off the back of the pen with a tarp in case of rain and to provide her with some privacy.  This worked pretty well the first day but she was moving around too much with visitors on three sides to keep an eye on her calf.  The second day, I blocked off an additional side of her corral with the display table and a rope.  This worked out much better and Bonny spent much more time laying down. 

Bonny set her own personal boundaries by happily accepting treats from everyone but bumping people's hands if they tried to pet her.  Most cows hate having their heads petted but many of ours tolerate or even enjoy it.  Bonny likes attention from us but she only allowed a few strangers to pet her head.  I discouraged people from reaching into her corral without a treat to put her more at ease.  I did go into her corral frequently with her and the baby to groom and scratch her favorite spots.  This also helped relax her and showed people just how affectionate cows can be.

People were absolutely enchanted with baby Gráinne.  I also think she will grow up to be one of our most laid back cows after her time spent in the public eye. 

I gave the cows an important break overnight by loading them back up in the trailer. It has high solid walls and is roomy enough for comfort. Lots of hay and water overnight really refreshed them both for the next day. I think they needed the break. I also walked them around a little when I got there in the morning before the event opened for the day. I think that helped quite a bit, too. Calves are most hyper in the early morning and late afternoon so this gave them both a chance to stretch their legs.

I couldn't believe how easy it was to load the cows. I just led them up to the back of the step up trailer (and it's pretty high) and gave them their head so they could jump in. Baby needed a little help to get in but she leaped out all by herself. Gráinne was leading like a pro by the end of the second day.  We normally don't even begin halter training until calves are six months old.  It will fun to see how much she remembers at weaning time. 

The only issue we had were with dogs. Bonny reacted to seeing any dog by walking around and fretting over her calf. The event was posted 'no dogs' but the volunteers at the gate had trouble with a few people that insisted on bringing their dogs in. When the organizer spoke to me, I mentioned it and she was apologetic. The poor kids working the gate gave in when they were yelled at because they couldn't give a good reason. The organizer thanked me for explaining how cows do not like dogs. She said that next year, she will have a good reason to turn dogs away and will enforce it with other folks at the gate, if necessary. The dog owners were nice enough to get there dogs out of sight of the cows when I asked them to, so no real issues. Bonny also calmed right down when I went in the pen and soothed her with my voice and petting. 


Overall, it was a great experience for a lot of kids to see a real live cow and calf and even feed a cow a treat (I had hand sanitizer for them).  I was able to present this breed to the public and answer many questions.  Many people stopped to read the board I put together for the display and our son enjoyed handing out St. Patrick's Day coins, necklaces, silly bands and clovers to kids.  We opted out of the St. Patrick's Day parade this year due to the age of Bonny's calf but next year, Fiona will have an older calf and she would actually do very well in the parade with proper preparation.  I now know what to expect which will help me plan for next year.  I have learned one thing, St. Augustine really knows how to celebrate!