Posts Tagged ‘chesapeake lightning
Toys For Horses – Aluminum Pedestal
If you follow us on our Facebook Page, then you might have already heard that Painting Pony recently picked up a new Sponsor, Toys For Horses.
Toys for Horses makes Tuff Balls (which the boys have been a fan of for years) and a pretty sweet Aluminum Pedestal.
Blitz enjoying his Tuff Ball from Toys For Horses
The boys have certainly put their Tuff Ball through the rigors (biting, kicking, and jumping on it) and it has been a fantastic way to work on desensitizing them.
Minnow, Blitz, and Boomer were in for a treat when their new aluminum pedestal arrived last week. Unfortunately we’ve had some nasty winter weather lately (making it difficult to train) – but that didn’t stop the boys from breaking in their new toy!
Boomerang and Blitz testing out the new toy.
Blitz of course was the first to show everyone that he knew exactly what to do with the new pedestal
Boomerang just couldn't wait to steal the spotlight from Blitz.
Incase you were wondering where Minnow was during all this fun.....he had decided he was having a bad hair day, and didn't really want his picture taken!
Don’t worry though, Minnow will have lots of time to practice on the new pedestal….we have our fingers crossed for Spring!
The thing I really like about the new pedestal is that it is a lot safer. It has a pad on top (similar to a rubber mat in a stall), not to mention the entire thing is round, making there no sharp edges. And lets not forget portability, not only can I roll it to move it, but I can also pick it up and carry it on one of my shoulders. I’m REALLY not going to miss lugging around our old wooden box pedestal!
So if you are in the market for some great toys for your horses be sure to head on over to Toys For Horses.com. Be sure to tell them Painting Pony sent you! 🙂
2011 Trick Pony Goals
Last year I made a list of goals I wanted to accomplish with the trick ponies, hoping that by writing them down it would really help me to complete them. My plan worked! Because I completed all but one of my ten goals last year, I think I can pat myself on the back for that one!
Here’s a little recap of last year’s goals:
1. Teach Minnow to rear CHECK
2. Teach Blitz and Boomer to lay down on command CHECK for Boomer
3. Finish teaching Ammo and Boomer to paint CHECK (Ammo learned to make scratch art)
4. Come up with a new skit for Minnow to perform CHECK a performance of dueling super hero’s with Ammo
5. Make a new video of all of the trick ponies (and the Dachshund) performing CHECK thanks to my talented brother
6. Move Boomer up to compete in the Masters Division in Mounted Games CHECK we competed this past year in masters
7. Take Blitz to a bombproofing clinic/and or some Dressage events
8. Teach Ammo and Minnow some tricks together CHECK seen in their super hero performance
9. Find more venues/performances for Minnow to do – events that raise money for charities would be great. CHECK we attended the Equine Extravaganza, MGAA Nationals, and did several new camp performances.
10. Spend more time doing “nothing” with the boys CHECK
The only thing I didn’t get to do was take Blitz on an outing. Blitz is owned by my mom now, so she spent a lot of last year training him – hopefully this year I will find some time to take him somewhere.
So in keeping with my tradition, I thought I should come up with some new goals for this year. I’m so excited to get started and I have BIG plans for the boys this year.
2011 TRICK PONY GOALS
1. Take some western riding lessons with Boomerang
2. Push myself past my comfort zone and compete in something I’ve never done before
3. Teach Minnow to sit or lay down
4. Fine tune Boomerang’s cues for bow and lay down
5. Train some more tricks using the pedestal
6. Teach Minnow a brand-new trick skit for Pony Penning 2011
7. Teach Ammo the Dachshund a skit he can perform alone
8. Take Blitz on an outing (Dressage, Paperchase, Mounted Games, Tricks, etc)
9. Paint with the boys more often
10. Read a training book (or video) and teach one skill from it
11. Teach Boomerang flying lead changes, rollbacks, and a better sidepass
12. Read Misty of Chincoteague…again! 🙂
Sounds doable right? What are your goals for 2011? Anything I should add?
Fuzzy Ponies & Slow Feeder Bags
I know I’ve kinda been missing for a while. Sorry! Things have gotten insanely busy at my shop for Christmas, much more than I anticipated. Meanwhile the ponies were busy selling paintings for Christmas all over the World! It makes me smile to think of all the people out there that will be unwrapping a fun little surprise from one of the boys on Christmas morning.
And speaking of the ponies, the boys have been busy growing hefty winter coats (hopefully not in anticipation for as much snow as we had last year), and cursing me for buying them slow feeder bags to keep their rolly polly tummies under control! hehe. It’s because I love you boys, please don’t hate me. 🙂
The slow feeder bags are designed to make the ponies eat their hay ration at a slower pace. It helps makes their 2-Flake allowance of hay last much longer – thus keeping them from thinking they are STARVING to death when their hay runs out….which trust me, they are not!
Hopefully the Holiday craziness will settle down soon and I’ll be able to get back to enjoying some time with my boys! I know they are anxiously waiting to find out what tricks they will be learning in 2011!! Woohoo!
CYBER MONDAY SALE!
Don’t forget to head over to the Painting Pony Online Shop today to save 10% off all items on 5AM to 12AM on Tuesday. And as a special thank you to all our loyal blog readers use the coupon code CYBERSALE10 at checkout to receive an additional 10% off!
Painting Pony DVD's make "kids" of all ages smile!
Every Princess needs a pretty little painting by a magical Chincoteague Pony
You don't have to be a Dachshund Lover to appreciate the detail Ammo the Dachshund puts into his artwork!
Holiday Cards made by ponies make everyone smile!
Every Gift Has a Story
Thanks to this great video from Etsy, I began thinking about the story behind Painting Pony , and how it came to be that on a small family farm in Pennsylvania there lives a couple of magical painting Chincoteague Ponies and their silly little Dachshund sidekick.
The story behind Painting Pony started years before the first paintbrush was ever put to canvas…..
It was 2002, and after just graduating high school I was about to take on a “project pony” from a friend. His name was Chincoteague Minnow, and all I knew about him was that he was born as a wild pony on Assateague Island and had since been bounced around between many homes for the past 10 years. At one point in his life he had been neglected, and he was now slowly on the road to recovery.
Chincoteague Ponies conjured up images of the famous Misty of Chincoteague, mystical wild ponies, and the magical love that little girls everywhere shared for them. Only the pony that came to live with me seemed to only be able to channel his inner WILD pony, with a fear of almost everything, and an inability to trust me. I spent years working with Minnow in the hopes of developing the kind of relationship with him that I had always dreamed of.
In 2004, on the verge of giving up hope, I discovered a book on how to teach your horse tricks. That winter I taught Minnow his very first trick, to give me a kiss. Things began to change, and Minnow began to look forward to my daily visits to the farm. Our relationship began to evolve, and I decided to take him to college with me that year.
Three years passed, and by the time I was graduating college I was looking at a completely different pony. My special Chincoteague Pony now shared an amazing bond with me, and we were able to communicate with each other in a way I never thought possible. In the winter of 2007 I decided to see if Minnow could learn to paint. I was a fine arts major in college, and thought it might be fun if my pony could make me a picture.
After lugging out an easel and some brushes to the farm, I handed Minnow one with paint and waited to see what he would do. His first stroke was magical and each one there after made me smile bigger and bigger. Sometimes he jabbed at the canvas, sometimes he made long swooping strokes – each one unique in it’s own way. As his masterpieces began to pile higher and higher I was running out of places to put them.
Soon I realized that Minnow had an amazing talented that he needed to share with the World. His paintings were so much more than abstract pieces of art, they had a story to tell. A story about how a little pony could overcome his fears and become something amazing. With each sale of his paintings I began to donate money to charities, in particular the Chincoteague Pony Association – which helped to care for and maintain the wild herds of ponies on Assateague Island – and Minnow’s ancestors. Over the years Painting Pony began to grow into something even bigger than Minnow and I.
With Minnow entering into his retirement years due to arthritis, two more amazing Chincoteague Ponies (Boomerang and Blitz) were added to our small family herd. Minnow took on the role of elder, and took the young boys under his wing. He has since passed on his painting talents to them, and continues to be an inspiration to them on a daily basis. Ammo the Dachshund entered our family in 2008, and quickly struck up an amazing friendship with Minnow. Never before have I seen a pony give a dachshund belly rubs.
Every time I see a child watch the ponies paint I am reminded of how I felt that first day when Minnow made his first brush stroke. A child’s smile is contagious – and there is nothing better than watching the twinkle in the ponies’ eyes when they realize they have made someone happy.
Painting Pony is about happiness and joy, and experiencing the magic of ponies. And if we can make you smile, then that’s all that matters.
Painting Pony Etsy Shop
