Posts Tagged ‘pony
Fun with Ammo
Just thought I’d share some photos of Ammo the Dachshund. He’s been braving the winter cold with me at the barn in his three (yes 3) winter coats. I think he’s longing for summer too. Here’s some cute shots of him from the past week….I just love that little dog.
Ammo’s favorite chair in the dining room. Hoping for scraps from the table.
Ammo checking out winter from the comfort of his leather chair
My Adorable Dachshund Valentine
Multitasking
Enjoying his Valentines Day Present
“I think it broke mom!”
Ammo starts dog training classes with me in March, and I can’t wait! I think it will be a great experience for him and I’m looking forward to transitioning him into other things, perhaps agility or maybe even flyball. He’s so smart I’m sure he could do anything. The tricky part will be channeling that Dachshund stubbornness in him. If you’ve ever owned a Dachshund you know what I’m talking about. Ammo is my very first Dachshund and I never imagined what a difficult breed they could be. He challenges me everyday, sometimes he frustrates me to no end….but for some reason his antics make me love him even more. I think I will forever be a “Dachshund Person” just like I will forever be a “Chincoteague Pony Person”.
I’m hoping to do some updates on Ammo when he begins his training classes (I also plan to use clicker training in them). And if I get myself in gear, I also plan to keep working on Ammo’s painting training so he can join the Trick Ponies in creating masterpieces. I will keep you posted!
My Favorite Chincoteague Links
I’ve decided that what will get me past my winter blues is thinking about the Summer ahead. In particular, my yearly trip to Chincoteague Island. This will be the third year that I attend with Chincoteague Minnow to paint and perform at the Chincoteague Pony Centre. I look forward to this every year and we start planning months in advance. So to sort of get my out of my funk, I’ve decided to post some of my favorite Chincoteague Pony and Misty of Chincoteague links. So check them out, and if you’ve never been to the magic that is the Chincoteague Pony Penning….maybe this is your year to go!
Pony Paintings
The website for the Trick Ponies of Chincoteague and an outlet for their creative endeavors. See videos, photos, and shop for paintings. Discover the magic of Chincoteague Ponies!
The Colorful Chincoteague
This website details all of the wide array of coat colors that Chincoteague ponies can come in. Run by fellow pony enthusiast, Amanda Geci, this website even features some of the Trick Ponies of Chincoteague. Chincoteague Minnow is under the Tobiano link and Chesapeake Lightning is under the Sabino link.
Misty’s Heaven
Everything you ever wanted to know about Misty of Chincoteague! This website is run by Matt DesJardins and Amanda Geci, and it is evident by their website that they really are Chincoteague Pony Lovers. Misty’s Heaven documents Misty’s life as well as the Misty Family Ponies and bloodlines. Be sure to check out the Misty’s Heaven Blog too!
The Chincoteague Pony Association
A must for any Chincoteague Pony lover. Registering your Chincoteague pony helps to keep track of all the ponies that left the island. The money they earn also goes to help feed and care for the wild ponies of Assateague Island. All three of the trick ponies are registered with the Chincoteague Pony Associations, we also make yearly donations to help their cause.
Thousand Welcomes Farm
A Chincoteague Pony Breeding farm located in Chapel Hill, NC. This is also where my own Blitz and Boomer were bred and raised. A wonderful family run farm that produces an excellent herd of ponies, I highly recommend if you are on the market for a new pony.
The Feather Fund
A wonderful non-profit group that continues the work of Carollyn Suplee by helping deserving children to purchase their very of own Chincoteague Pony. I think its a wonderful organization that brings the magic of the Chincoteague Ponies into a child’s home.
The Chincoteague Pony Centre
The oldest established breeder of Misty Family Ponies, also the once home to Chincoteague Minnow. During the summer season they put on a wonderful pony show at the Pony Centre, Minnow also performs here during Pony Penning week. They also have a gift shop and during the summer months the foals can be seen playing outfront. During the off season the ponies reside off the island on the Allen Family Farm.
Winter Blues
Iron Horse Farm
I disappeared for a little while. Honestly I’ve got a case of the winter blues and I’ve sort of been hiding out inside instead of the farm. Instead of hanging around after my daily barn chores to play with the ponies I’ve been hightailing it home to get a cup of hot chocolate. I’m ready for summer – but as I look at our weather forecasts dotted with snow, I’m starting to think its never going to come. I knew I’d regret my love of snow and snowdays eventually.
But I’m going to have to start riding again soon. I have a show I plan to take Boomerang (and maybe Blitz) to on March 28th…which doesn’t leave me much time to get him back in shape after 3 months off. Perhaps I will start this weekend…if I can get a ride to the farm! My husband’s car broke down on the highway only for us to find out his 2002 Toyota Corolla needs a whole new engine. Poof, there goes the fund for getting me a new truck to pull the horse trailer. Guess I will have to wait a little longer, hopefully my Tahoe can hang in there a few more months.
So anyway since I’ve been neglecting the blog I’m going to do another post today…..so check back to see what is in store!
Blizzard Number 2
Ammo looks longingly at what used to be his yard
Yes, 5 days later and Eastern Pa finds itself in another massive Blizzard. We already had 24″ of snow, now we’re at an additional 20″ and its still snowing outside. Thats a lot of snow. But the good news is I got another snowday. The shop is closed, but the ponies must still be fed. I made the treacherous journey out to the farm with my parents and husband and we were able to get the horses out for a few hours. The bad news is we lost power while we were out there. So needless to say the automatic waterers my dad had installed in all the stalls were not going to function. So we were resourceful and filled water buckets with snow hoping it would melt into drinking water until power is restored. We generously hayed all of the horses and tucked them in for the night at 1pm – hoping they could make it until our return tomorrow morning, whenever that may be.
Not sure what tomorrow will entail, hopefully I can dig myself out. And I am shocked to see they are predicting that we may be getting MORE snow on Monday. I’m starting to think we’re entering into the ice age.
But despite this bout of bad weather, I do still enjoy the snow – maybe I’m crazy. Get back to me after a few more weeks of more snow and maybe I will have changed my mind.
So for your viewing pleasure….here are some of my snowday photos:
Ammo is thrilled to wake up and find more snow outside
Blitz struts his stuff in the snow
Boomerang is only concerned with what yummy treats await him outside
Blitz
Minnow bounds through the snow
Chincoteague Minnow
Iron Horse Farm
My husband, Mike, giving my dad a thumbs up for good work
My dad and his trusty "snowplow"
Ammo begging to be let outside
Ammo convinced there are badgers hiding in the snow
First Blizzard of 2010
Well it happened, the weather people were right, we got a MASSIVE amount of snow here in Eastern Pa over the weekend. 24 plus inches to be exact. And its not over yet, before this snow melts we’ll be getting another blizzard tomorrow!
I spent the weekend digging myself out on Saturday so that I could go to a wedding. Yes, a wedding. Surprisingly my husband and I weren’t the only people to make it as it continued to snow outside. Thanks to my trusty sometimes capable SUV we got there and back in one piece. We partied it up enjoyed the wedding as my husband and I both fought a nasty cold – and he got over two recent root canals. Yes ouch – physically and financially.
I thought of my parents all day who spent hours digging out the farm, which sits ontop of a very steep – rarely traveled (or plowed) hill. The horses were trapped inside the barn until 12pm when they were finally able to arrive. I was sad to miss the snowday antics.
But on Sunday we still had mass amounts of the white stuff, and I was able to get Ammo the Dachshund outside for a much needed romp in the snow. He’s actually a very huge fan of snow despite his breeds affinity to the warmth and not the cold. I finally had to MAKE him come inside because I was afraid I’d end up with a puppy popsicle.
I eventually made it out to the farm to play with the ponies in the snow. Boomerang suffered a small snow injury on his nose, my guess is from taking a nap in the snow on something sharp. He’ll live. I wished I hadn’t been fighting a cold or I might have felt up to using the snow to my benefit. Perhaps teaching them to sit or even lay down. But since we seem to be headed into another big storm, perhaps I will still be able to use the snow to my advantage.
Most people complain about how much they hate the snow, but I really enjoy it. I like being able to close up my shop. I like putting on balky snow pants and trudging out to the farm. I like playing in the snow with the dog, eating snow cream, and making snowmen. I even kinda like shoveling snow – maybe its just the fact that coming inside after a day of shoveling usually ensures a cup of hot chocolate and some soup. I really like going sledding.
So yes, I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s snow. Don’t get me wrong I long for summer just like everyone else, but if its going to be cold, it might as well snow so that I can enjoy it!
So if you didn’t have your own snow day this weekend, here are some photos from mine, so you can pretend you were there!
Boomerang's BooBoo
