Iron Horse Farm – video tour
Some of you might know that in 2009 we moved the ponies into our farm, Iron Horse Farm. My parents waited 20+ years until they were able to build the farm of their dreams. And while the farm never seems to be quite complete (we always have projects going on) – it is definitely a place our whole family cherishes.
My talented brother Taylor recently made an updated farm tour for our website while he was home visiting from North Carolina. (and he’s also working on a new video for the painting ponies!)
Check it out:
Isn’t it fantastic! You can see my mom working Blitz in the video with her dog Trooper – as well as Boomerang and Minnow (and our other horses Jet – black mare & Nitro – the grey). Sadly I wasn’t out at the farm the day he shot – or perhaps I would have made him capture a few pony tricks for the reel. But regardless, my brother is an super talented filmmaker – he shot this in one day! Amazing right?
So if you are in need of some video work – be sure to check out his website Depthink. (he will travel!)
Trick Pony Update (part 2)
Hopefully you got to read part 1 of our big Trick Pony Update. Well, part 2 was supposed to come way sooner than now! Sorry! But better late than never. So here’s a little bit of what we’ve been up to lately….
Right before our big school visit I decided to teach Minnow a new trick. He now has a bright beaming smile, just like his brother, Boomerang.
I’m not really sure why it took me so long to get around to teaching him this trick – but whatever the case, in a matter of a few minutes he was a smiling fool!
Meanwhile, Minnow has picked up a new training buddy, Trooper! Trooper has graciously agreed to perform alongside Ammo the Dachshund at the Keystone Dachshund Races this year.
Ammo has been helping Trooper to learn his tricks, and before we know it “Super Trooper” will be ready for the big show!
Minnow had a break-through in his laydown training a few weeks ago. Those of you that have been reading the blog for a long time might know that Minnow has not been trained to laydown yet. Mostly because he’s extremely sensitive and up until now, putting himself into a vulnerable position like laying down was not something he was comfortable with. Typically he will wait until no one is around before he will even roll in the pasture, and he’s never let me even get close to him while he’s on the ground. I’m a strong believer in letting my horse tell me when they are ready and comfortable. I was in no hurry to teach Minnow to laydown, and I’ve been patiently waiting for the past 8 years until he’s ready.
And now I think the time has finally come. It all started with a bath a few weeks ago. Miraculously he decided to roll right after I turned him out in the pasture – about a foot away from me. I took it as a cue and crept up next to him to feet him grass. He stayed down for about 30 seconds before he got up. I then began to give my cue for laydown that I use for Boomer (which I have been making Minnow watch for the past several weeks) – and by some miracle Minnow went down again. I could kick myself for not having a handful of treats in my pockets – but I did my best to verbally praise him & feed him any bits of grass I could find.
I’m so excited that he finally seems ready to master this (difficult for him) trick. When the day finally comes we will have reached a huge milestone in our relationship. From the scared & untrusting pony I met 8 years ago – to a pony that will trust me to be around him in his most vulnerable moment. I’m honored that he’s chosen me to go on this journey with him. 🙂
Usually our travels involve performances and competitions, but this month our travels led us in a different direction. Boomer, Blitz, and Ammo recently took a trip with us to Delaware – not for a performance – but for saddle fitting!
Blitz is going to be a Western Pony! Doesn’t he look cute in his new western saddle? Meanwhile Boomerang & I are trying out treeless saddles! I’ve had the same multipurpose saddle since I was about 12 -so it’s high time I upgrade (specifically to something that isn’t too small for me!) So, to make room for our new saddle, we’re also selling off some of the ones we don’t use anymore.
So if anyone is interested in a 16 1/2″ Dressage Saddle in excellent condition let me know! You can find out more details here. Once our new saddle is here, we will also have a great multi-purpose saddle for sale.
Blitz is really liking his new western pony role, and Boomer can hardly contain his excitement for his new saddle to arrive. We’ll be sure to post details once we’ve made sure it fits him & given it a good test ride. You can find out more details about treeless saddles here.
Well I hope you enjoyed our little update on life with the trick ponies’. As we approach Summer more exciting things will be happening – as we gear up for more performances and our yearly trip with Minnow to Pony Penning!
Trick Pony Update (part 1)
Ok I know I’ve been slacking a little on the updates to the blog, but in my defense….it’s so nice outside! We’ve been having such amazing weather lately that I’ve been spending lots more time out the farm with the boys.
So since I’m a little behind on keeping everyone a prized of what we’ve been doing – today’s post is just going to be a MASSIVE update on some of the things that have been happening around here. It’s a TRICK PONY UPDATE post! yeah!
On May 3rd I set up a little table at the West Bradford Elementary School Art Day. Many artists set up tables around the school to talk to the students about their personal artwork and what it was they do. As you may have guessed – my booth contained the only “animal artists”. The boys were a big hit and the school was a buzz with talk of the Painting Ponies. I loved seeing the kid’s faces when they watched the video of the boys painting. Their jaws would drop in disbelief and immediately the outpouring of questions would start.
We had little trading cards to hand out to all the kids, each containing a different photo of the ponies and Ammo the dachshund. It ended up being a really fun (but exhausting) day. There was talk of maybe having Minnow & Ammo come next year – which I think would be really fun!
Meanwhile I was spending a lot of time out at the farm getting Minnow and Ammo ready for their big school visit. I grabbed this shot of Minnow during one of our practice sessions. Aren’t the clouds in the background so cool?
I don’t know what it is about dressing the boys up in costume – but it just makes me bust out laughing. I think they know it’s funny, because they all start to pose.
Seriously, that boy knows he’s a Super Pony.
At the same time we we’re practicing a lot, I had family visiting from Oregon. They got to see Minnow & Ammo perform first hand – and I’m pretty sure they all think I need to run away and join the circus. (don’t worry, I’m not planning on it)
We also made a little upgrade to our pedestal from our Sponsor, Toys for Horses – now everyone will know who we are!
Boomerang of course couldn’t wait to try it out. I’m pretty sure he thinks it’s super cool.
And just for fun, here’s a little behind the scenes look at what else I’ve been up to…..
Planting my garden! Yeah! Don’t tell the ponies’ but as long as I don’t kill them first, there might be a few tasty carrots in the bunch for them!
So I hope you enjoyed out little update, I’ll be back soon with a Part 2 – because Minnow’s been busy learning some new tricks! Yeah!
Minnow and Ammo go to school
Today was a big day for Ammo the Dachshund and Chincoteague Minnow. Together they went on their very first Elementary School Visit to the Renaissance Academy in Phoenixville PA. The older kids had been reading Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry and the younger kids read My Chincoteague Pony by Susan Jeffers.
"It's so hard to wake up early"
Ammo was a little unenthusiastic to be up at 4am – I literally had to drag him out of bed and plop him into the car. He had had a very busy day the day before, so I think he was a little extra groggy.
Ammo & Cricket helping to pack
We gave two talks/demos while at the Renaissance Academy. Most of it was geared around Misty of Chincoteague – since that’s what the kids had been learning about. I talked about the real life Misty, and how she also went on school visits, and into libraries, and even rode an elevator once. We also talked about how Misty had a sidekick named Alex the Dachshund who liked to jump through a hoop, climb ladders, and dress up in doll clothes (the kids got a chuckle out of that one). I also had pictures of Misty and some of the pony swim and auction. We even had a special picture of Minnow and Misty’s great-granddaughter, Black Mist.
The kids had some great questions for me too. Like is Minnow afraid of anything? To which I replied – his biggest fear is flash photography, he believes that the flash is lightning – so perhaps when he was wild on Assateague Island as a foal he had to live through a terrible storm. And can Ammo do a back flip? Sadly no. But we also had some interesting questions about Misty, and the kids seemed very interested in learning all that they could.
Eventually we transitioned into performing Minnow & Ammo’s award winning Super Pony vs. Super Dog skit. Minnow was a star as usual – and he won every time in their little super hero battle of tricks as the kids clapped the loudest for him each performance. Ammo didn’t go unnoticed – as the kids broke out into laughter as soon as Ammo’s stunt helmet came out. Ammo was still a little groggy (he’s such a baby), so although he performed all of his tricks – he was in sort of a slow motion. No spur of the moment hole digging like he normally does (he always gets a big laugh on that one), but he was still just as adorable as ever – even if he was a little tired.
Minnow painted a fabulous painting during his performance, which is now hanging at the Renaissance Academy. The kids helped name it “Misty’s friend Minnow”.
Along with my fabulous mom, who never fails to drop everything and assist me with the boys (thanks mom!), I also brought my brother, Taylor, along – who’s home for a short time from his home in North Carolina.
Taylor is an amazing videographer/editor – and I was thrilled when he agreed to film our performance. I’m so excited to see what he comes up with, because all of his stuff is amazing! Seriously, check out his website! But since talent cannot be rushed, we will have to wait several weeks until he gets home and has a chance to edit it all together.
Taylor also edited and filmed (even recording his own music) the main video on our website (check it out here) – which he amazingly shot in one day! (oh and P.S. don’t let the height difference fool you – Taylor is my younger brother)
After the performances I walked Ammo and Minnow around so all the kids could have a turn petting them. Each kid also got a trading card that had a different picture of the ponies and ammo on the front.
Ammo took the opportunity to take a nap, while Minnow wanted the kids to get all his itchy spots. I love seeing all the kids smile and laugh and seeing them all petting Minnow reminded me of this Photo of Misty.
Photo from : Life Magazine
Ammo passed out immediately on the way home, you have to remember he’s only 2 years old – and he only just began performing in front of audiences last summer. He still has many years ahead of him! Minnow on the other hand didn’t want to go home!
We had lots of fun on our school visit, and I hope there will be many more in our future!
You can see more photos of the event on the Renaissance Academy Library Blog, and a short video up on the Phoenix Newspaper (an article will be accompanying it shortly).
The Super Pony goes to School
The past few weeks we’ve been busy practicing and practicing. On Monday, Minnow & Ammo the Dachshund will be making their very first Elementary School visit.
The kids have been reading the book Misty of Chincoteague, and they are very excited to meet Minnow and Ammo. I still remember my first “pony” visit when I was in Elementary School. We had Gawani Pony Boy and his horse visit our school – he talked about his book and we all got to sit inside a real tepee. It was definitely something that stuck with me through the years.
Minnow and Ammo will be performing their famous “Super Pony vs. Super Dog” skit, and showing off their amazing painting skills. I’ve also *gulp* agreed to give a talk about Misty of Chincoteague. Public speaking is not my favorite thing (is it anyones?) – but I know it would mean a lot to the kids.
So I’ve been busy collecting photos of Misty and even HER Dachshund sidekick, Alex. I thought it would be great fun to learn about the similarities between Minnow and Misty and even Ammo and Alex. How ironic that each of their names start with the same letter? (Minnow had his name when I got him, and when Ammo came in to my life I didn’t even know there was a dachshund in Misty’s life).
Alex was a performing pooch just like Ammo. He jumped through a hoop, climbed a ladder, tolerated dressing up in doll clothes, and even enjoyed riding on Misty’s back.
We’re all very excited for the visit – and I know Minnow and Ammo will be in their element getting to meet all of the kids. Ammo has even been inventing new tricks in practice, as he always has to be such a ham. Just seeing him in his little stunt helmet and cape makes me laugh – no child could resist him!
After our visit I’ll be sure to give a full recap of the event on the blog. And we have lots more performances being scheduled for this year, so make sure you check out our calendar to catch us at an event near you! More dates will be listed shortly – we are even working on a few new skits – with a special new “performer” who’s never been seen before!
“It’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you” – Rachel, Batman Begins
