Posts Tagged ‘chincoteague minnow
More Spots
More spots. That’s what we think Blitz must have been thinking when he tried to paint his brother, Boomer, today.
Boomer was very tolerant of his brother’s need to give him more “chrome”. Had he actually had paint on the end of his brush it may have been a different story. 🙂
Minnow on the other hand took the opportunity to show the younger boys how you are “supposed” to pose for pictures with your trusty paint brush….
Always such the professional.
hardee har har.
Ammo the Painting Dachshund
We’ve secretly been working on a little project over at Painting Pony. I’m sure you’ve probably already guessed what it is by now. So without further adieu, I introduce to you….
AMMO THE DACHSHUND WATERCOLOR ARTIST!
That’s right, on June 10th, 2011 Ammo created his very first watercolor painting. We all knew it was coming someday, considering he spends enough of his time with his painting pony friends.
I guess you could say he was destined to follow in the family footsteps – although he has some mighty BIG shoes to fill.
Ammo's first painting "My Sunshine"
But, Ammo’s a pretty talented guy, and I have the feeling that the ponies are going to pretty jealous of him in no time! I actually could hardly believe my eyes when I saw his first masterpiece – it is quite stunning in person.
Ammo takes his painting talent pretty seriously, and he likes to take his time creating these beautiful paintings. So right now we only have one of his paintings available for sale. We will certainly have more in the future – and will be sure to let you know as they are created.
"Backyard Bliss" by Ammo the Dachshund
Ammo painted this on June 18th, 2011 and it is available for purchase in our shop. Every painting Ammo sells we donate 5% to some of his favorite charities like the Coast to Coast Dachshund Rescue, The Mainline Animal Rescue, and the SPCA. After all, with great talent comes great responsibility, and helping those in need is always a noble cause.
And because it’s always fun to see Ammo in action, we’ve made a little video so everyone can see this little guy’s talented paws at work!
If you would like to see more pictures and hear about what Ammo thinks about his first few creations, be sure to head on over to his blog, AmmotheDachshund.com!
The Ponies get a new Trailer
When I was a kid getting my pony to horse shows required us to be a little creative.
That’s my childhood pony, Oreo Cookie, in the back of our horse trailer in 1989. For trips to local shows and summer camp our little make-shift rig worked out just fine. Oreo really enjoyed going on rides, she’d rest her head on the cab of the truck letting the wind whip through her mane.
Eventually my sister and I joined Pony Club (thank goodness the pickup truck had long since died – we probably would have been kicked out instantly for our HIGHLY unsafe trailer), and the need for a real horse trailer to get us to rallies and practices was high on the list.
Our maroon trailer took us to MANY pony club rallies. It took the ponies to Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland and more. It brought Minnow home to live with us and took him to his first pony penning. For the past 15 years it’s the only horse trailer we have known.
For years we had outgrown it. With three riders in the family, not all of us could attend events together. Or we had to find someone to trailer our third pony. Minnow’s growing accumulation of trick gear was getting harder and harder to fit on long trips. We longed for a tackroom.
Then last week we finally did it. I had combed used trailer ads for years, waiting for the right 3 horse bumper pull trailer to pop up (they are hard to find!). And at last the perfect-for-us trailer popped up.
We’ve been practicing our trailer loading – as we’re not sure some of the ponies have ever been on a step-up before. It’s also a learning curve for us – as we get accustomed to the new and so much larger trailer (it also boasts a rear and front tack room perfect for transporting trick gear).
Even Ammo the Dachshund is super excited that it can fit all three of his favorite Chincoteague Ponies at once.
And little Minnow is just tall enough to peek his little head out the window.
We’re excited for our next adventure with our new trailer! And if anyone is interested in a used 2 horse bumper pull, all steel, wood floor, still in great working condition let us know!
Now I just have to practice backing this beast up!
June Events & Sitting Ponies
Well June is officially here – and thus begins our countdown to pony penning! The pressure is on for me to think up a new skit for Minnow to perform while we are down there. I have a few random ideas floating around my head – but suggestions are definitely welcome!
I do need to come up with a plan though, so I have an idea of what new tricks I need to teach Minnow this year. In the hopes that working on some new tricks might spark an idea for me I started training both Minnow and Boomerang to sit.
We’re at the beginning stages right now, (although Boomer has had some previous lessons on it last year with me – I just got a bit distracted before finishing it) but I’m sure they will both get it soon. I’ve been training them together – something I only sometimes do – but working them at the same time is really helping them to learn faster. Boomerang I think might catch on a bit quicker than Minnow, as he’s less concerned about touching his butt to a rustling bean bag chair. Minnow would much rather prefer to pick them up and throw them. haha.
I’ve also been having Minnow watch me cue Boomerang to lay down – and I’m just waiting for the opportunity when Minnow offers this trick to me so I can reward him. Any day now….I can just tell!
Amongst the pony training, Ammo has also been getting ready for his big performance at the Keystone Dachshund Races next weekend.
I swear he’s really excited! 🙂
Ammo will be performing around lunchtime with his pal Super Trooper (my mom’s Australian Shepherd/Labrador). This will be Trooper’s debut performance and he’s been working really hard! Let’s just say I’m off in search of a doggie sized tutu today – it’s going to be epic.
So if you are in the Lewisberry PA area next Sunday June 12th around from 12pm – 6pm – be sure to shop by to watch Ammo race for charity & perform with Trooper. We’ll also have a booth set up where ammo will be selling some of his artwork- with perhaps a few pieces from the ponies as well. It’s definitely a fun day with the profits benefiting the Coast to Coast Dachshund Rescue. We hope to see you there!
P.S. Ammo says that anyone who sports a “Go Ammo” t-shirt on Race day to support him will get an extra slobbery kiss!
Blitz and Minnow grazing at home at Iron Horse Farm
2011 Wild Pony Foals
If you are like us, you are counting down the days until the annual pony penning in Chincoteague. So at least now you can get a little preview of some of the 2011 foals that have been born already this year on Assateague.
Wild Island Ponies, is a website run by an Assateague Pony enthusiast – who mostly uses the site to document the ponies for her own pleasure.
Kelly now has up a list (and pictures) of some of the 2011 foals she’s spotted on the island – some during the Spring Roundup. You can check them out here.
It’s a really cool resource if plan to attend a swim (or even just visit Assateague) anytime soon. I personally can’t even remember some of the mares and stallions on the island – and talk about helpful if you had plans to buy a foal this year!
There are definitely some cute babies in the bunch this year – I can’t wait to see all of them at the end of July! For a complete list of the pony penning schedule you can visit our website. Hope to see you there! And don’t forget to come visit me and Minnow at the Chincoteague Pony Centre.
