New pregnant donkey pic!

Unfortunately still three months to go....

Rabies vaccine reaction

Magic, one of our minis, had a pretty scary reaction to his rabies vaccine a couple of weeks ago. I've never had a reaction from anyone here, so you can imagine this was pretty darn scary for me. Here's a video.... I'll admit I'm going to be quite nervous at vaccination time from now on....with everyone! No fever, just swelling near the injection site and this walking issue which lasted a couple days. Thankfully he was in good spirits through it all. More than I can say for myself! Nine in all were vaccinated (7 horses and 2 donkeys) and he was the only one to get this type of reaction.

Three months to go!

Donkeys are pregnant for a full year, and our Kochia still has three months to go till her due date. It has been a long wait! Especially when she looks like this! She's 36" tall, and bred to Kreir Kountry Sully, a 32" chocolate/brown jack, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a brown baby (like our other donkey, Gracey). There was an ultrasound done, we know there's only one baby in there, and I am sure of her breeding dates, as she was taken to the jack, and was only away from home a week and a half.

Whew!

There's all the introductions! For your viewing enjoyment.....Jag and Blue playing in the pasture the other day......

Chickens

On April 4th, 2008 we brought home 15 chicks from my son's kindergarten classroom. They had hatched eggs as part of their farm studies, and we were asked if we would be willing to provide homes for some. The photo on the left is what they looked like when we brought them home! Cute, fuzzy little yellow things! We have since found a home for the roosters....they spent their days fighting and arguing with each other, and we didn't have the space to let them get away from each other, so we found someone who already had chickens on his farm, and they moved there, to run loose and go wherever they pleased. Perfect opportunity for them! We are left with the 9 hens, who have just moved from our garage and into our barn. We plan to keep them to lay eggs for us, and just to watch...I've always wanted a few chickens, just never taken the plunge! This was the opportunity!

My husband was all for the idea, in fact, he wanted even more, and began constructing an 8 by 12 foot chicken barn. We got the side and end walls up, and the trusses up, then it sat. I will include a photo.... we didn't need a building permit, as it was under 120 square feet. I was thrilled with the idea of this! Quite large for the number of chickens we had, but our plan was to fully insulate it, and I thought I could also house my rabbits in there in the wintertime, and that size would leave plenty of room for the hutches as well! Looks like that thought has been poofed.... the county zoning guy showed up, and we need a permit. Only, the two places suitable for us to put it, we can't. Too close to the pond behind our house, or too close to the road. Our back yard...the whole thing is too close to the pond..... we just aren't set up to put it anywhere else....without taking fences down, which we don't want to do. So, what you see in the picture will most likely be taken apart...material used for something different...something MUCH smaller, that we will not need a zoning permit for. 32 square feet. The size of a sheet of plywood. If we go bigger, we need a permit. So, we will probably be reducing our hen number as well, to accomodate the size coop we're going to have to make. I'm really bummed....seriously.

Kitties

We have four cats, Snickers (barn cat) and three indoor cats, Ick, Little Guy and Taz.

Taz is the cat all of our company loves. He is a beautiful black and white longhair, and came off a friend's farm as a kitten. My husband got him for me 6 months after my beloved kitty, Max died. Taz keeps things interesting, he's playful, extremely full of life. He's very much a talker, just a very social cat. We got him as a kitten, he's about 4 years old now. Full of personality, he hides away to take naps, then very loudly announces to everyone that he's awake when he returns. He's a whiner. Of course, it's probably my fault, I raised him that way.

Ick is 10 years old this year, and we got him as a kitten, just weaned from his mom. Ick is short for Ichabod Crane, the headless horseman, as he was always getting his head stuck in things as a kitten, nearly losing it on several occasions! Ick has moved three different times with us, and has survived the first 6 years of my son's life! He's the "old man" of the house. He started losing weight about a year and a half ago, and after many, MANY tests, they think he may have lymphoma. He's on medication, and is doing well. His symptoms have subsided somewhat, and he is so far able to live a quality life yet. I hope it continues for a long time yet. He has always been one to get into trouble, and he still continues to do so.

Little Guy is about 8 years old, and he's far from little anymore, he's the "heaviest" kitty we have. He's also "MY" cat. He is our hider, unless he knows people well, no one sees him. You can even tell by the photo...of course I have lots of non-hiding photos too! Little Guy shares my pillow at night, follows me around the house after our son goes to bed (he doesn't even like HIM!) and owns a piece of my heart. Well, all of my animals do, but Little Guy likes to think he owns more. He was a stray, very tiny kitten out wandering around by himself, it took me three days to catch him. But once I did, I think he became the happiest cat on the face of the earth. That's my boy!

Last but not least is Snickers, the keeper of the barn. She's the sweetest cat anyone would ever care to meet, and just as cute too! She keeps the mice in check in the barn, and keeps me company while doing chores, or hanging out on the swing outside. She's just a great cat! I love everything about her! She came from a friend's farm, when my friend moved from the farm, Snickers came to live here. I am very happy to have her, and I think she's more than thrilled to have the entire barn to herself! She seems to like not having to share her space. Update: Snickers passed away on Monday, March 16th, 2009. As you can probably tell by my previous description of her here, I am going to miss her very much.

The Mini Donkeys

Kochia and Gracey both came from different sides of the state just days apart. Kochia is 16, Gracey is 7. They are both ADMS registered. I have always wanted a mini donkey, and in learning more about them, learned it's best to get more than one. That was a good enough excuse for me! Both of these girls were in need of a good home, and I was wanting to give them one, so I picked Kochia up on a Monday, and Gracey the following Thursday.

Kochia is pregnant, and due to have her foal in August of this year. In this photo, she's got 5 months to go. I'm really excited! She is 36" tall, and a gray-dun, the jack she is bred to is a brown jack, 32" tall. Kochia spent most of her life on a breeding farm, having babies, so she's no stranger to motherhood. She has had many. Our other donkey drives, and Kochia gets upset when I take her out, so I thought it might be nice if we had three donkeys, so one could stay with her when I take the other out. Then I got the idea why not breed for that third donkey! So chances are I'll be keeping the foal. Donkeys are pregnant for a month longer than a horse typically, it already seems like we've waited forever for this foal! It doesn't help Kochia is SO HUGE already. The photo included here is nothing compared to how she looks now.....but, her breeding dates are accurate, and she was ultrasounded, there is only one! I have her amazing (well, to me!) ultrasound picture on my website if you wish to take a peek!

Gracey has been a pet all her life. Except when she was a foal, she had never been around donkeys at all until she came here. She likes Kochia just fine, but she's not as attached as Kochia is to her. I can take Gracey away and she doesn't have a care in the world, I like that about her. Kochia really stresses herself out about things. My girls are very different! Gracey is about 34" tall, and she is a brown/chocolate jennet, same color as the jack Kochia is bred to. I'm hoping the foal is brown like Gracey is! In my opinion, Gracey is as cute as donkeys come, although this girl can REALLLLLLY be stubborn (donkeys? NAHHHH!) She does drive, and really seems to enjoy doing so very much. And she looks so cute doing it! Get this girl going in front of a cart and she's quite happy!

Merlin the Mini

Well, Merlin is maybe closer to pony-sized, I need to measure him to be sure... he's somewhere between 38-40", but I don't care to be technical, really! Someone had posted this adorable little grullo mini gelding on a horse message board I am a member of, they had just bought him and as they should, they were showing him off. I was kidding around, but I posted saying if she ever needed to get rid of him, to let me know. Well, it happened! Apparently he has issues with staying in fencing. Yes, I know how mischevious these little guys can be! Luckily he's in GOAT SAFE fencing, so he's not going anywhere! So.....now he's here! I went and picked him up the day before Thanksgiving, 2007. I never realized just how much Magic was missing out on having a buddy! He's been out with the big horses, he's been with the goats, with the mini donkeys, but now that he's got another mini horse to play with, he's happy as can be. These two are best friends, and it's just such a blast watching them play together! Maybe someday I can train Merlin to drive too.....I'll start some groundwork with him this year, he's just 2 this year. But having gotten him in November, it's like Christmas morning now with spring shedding...waiting to see what he's like underneath all that hair! He's a sweetheart! And another great addition to our place!

Magic the mini

Magic....I had always been facinated by the little minis, and I had been watching the online ads, really for a mini donkey (because I've always loved donkeys!) but would have considered a mini as well. For a possible driving prospect, and I thought it would be fun since I had a young son and thought it would be nice to have a horse his size. I found Magic on Equine.com, he was close by, and he was dirt cheap. I thought he seemed too good to be true, but what the heck, I went to look at him anyway. When I saw him, he was just a sweetheart! A little black mini, mini Friesian, really (Friesians have been my ultimate dream horse for over half my life). He took to my son right away. The following weekend, we came back with the trailer and the asking price of a hundred bucks, and we had our new mini in the trailer! Our big horses didn't know WHAT to think! And Magic seemed to thrive on that excitement. I had planned to drive Magic, but didn't have the equipment for a few years yet, so his favorite job was as a babysitter for the weanlings, a job which he did very well. He kept them company, played with them, yet kept them in line. I got Magic in 2003, and we did a lot of ground work for driving for years, but wasn't until 2007 that he actually started driving. He picked right up on that. Seems to love it! In fact, Halloween, 2007 he took my son trick-or-treating. Well, my son went house to house, while I sat in the cart! Magic wore little red devil horns on his head....and we all had a blast! My son has a little saddle for him too, although sadly, this year, we've become aware that Alex has grown too big for little 36" Magic. But....he can still love him....and can still ride in the cart! I just love this little horse like crazy! The photos I included here are from our Halloween Trick-or-Treating! Magic is 8 years old this year.

Jag

Jag is a 4 year old red dun AQHA gelding whom my husband had his eye on all summer the year he was born. Jag had a real rough start. He had severely contracted tendons at birth, which went untreated, and failed to correct on their own. I believe he was a couple months old when a friend of mine took him in, he was taken away from mom and put on milk replacer, and splinted and given lots of TLC, supplements and vet care, and thanks to her care, he is the way he is today. I ended up sneaking around behind my husband's back and bringing this guy home in December, 2004. We didn't know if he'd ever be sound for riding, but we figured we had the space for "just a pet" if that's what it came down to...we already had some of those around here! "Just a pets" are pretty damn important too, I'd say! He's had some groundwork and been saddled, but there has been no rush with him, both for physical and mental reasons....but this year just may be the year! He's the nosey type, he's always into everything, always investigating what you're doing, and always trying to "help." He's quite a character!

Blue

Blue is a 16 hand, 10 year old grulla Quarter Horse. She is registered with AQHA, and also the International Buckskin Horse Association, and the National Foundation Quarter Horse Association. My husband surprised me with Blue's purchase when she was a year and a half old, in 1999, after I had spent several months drooling over her. Blue has had three foals, all three of them grullas. Two fillies and a colt. They reside in Oklahoma, Wisconsin and South Dakota. Besides being a mom, Blue has just been ridden at home on the trails, although the past two years she has participated at the Midwest Horse Fair in Madison, WI on the volunteer mounted patrol. For a horse who hasn't spent a whole lot of time off the farm, she has done extremely well! I would like to breed blue again someday, maybe in the next year or two, whenever the time seems right, and I find the right match for her. She has had three beautiful foals, and the next one would definitely be my keeper. She is an excellent mom, and I have no doubt her next foal will turn heads like the last ones have.

But I want to wait for the right time, so I can be sure I can have all the time in the world to raise the foal the way I want it raised. So Blue is currently our second longest resident here, she's been with us for just about 9 years. And she's just as special today as she was the day she came.

Kissy

I thought I would start off with introductions. I will start with Kissy, since she's been with me the longest. She is a 23 year old registered Arabian mare. I got her when she was not quite two years old, so I've had her more than half of my life. Pretty amazing to say! She was bred when I got her (by accident!) and had a foal in 1988, a bay mare I named Val. I kept Val for 11 years, but sold her to a trail riding family when I got into Quarter Horses. Kissy and I have done everything together, I showed her at the Dane County Fair for several years, in parades, we've done many, many miles of trail rides, (being gone all day), and she is my best friend. I even would ride her to friends' houses, and spend the night, keeping her there with me. Kissy has had two other foals besides Val, a Quarab colt, Boomer in 2001 (who lives in California) and a black Quarab filly who was born 6 weeks premature and was regrettfully euthanized later the same day. That filly is the one I had been waiting for, and I'm still crushed about it. I never bred Kissy again. Kissy, having been (accidentally) bred way to early (before we bought her) has taken its toll on her body. She is no longer sound for riding and is just a pet here on our farm. But she leads a happy, pampered life, and as long as she's comfortable, she will continue to lead her happy, pampered life. She has become a bit of a hard keeper, but with blanketting and diet, I've managed to keep weight on her now the past couple winters and bring her into spring looking great! She requires regular teeth work as her teeth are not in good shape, she has already lost some, and has required work to repair some diastemas, and will continue to do so, so she's a pretty expensive horse to maintain, but with the life she has given me, I certainly owe her that, and then some. Kissy has given me many years of happiness, she was the first horse my son ever rode (before he could walk), and was the only horse I trusted to ride while I was pregnant. I miss riding her greatly, but I'm thankful to have had her in my life this long, and hope to for many years to come.

Welcome!

I thought it might be fun to start keeping a blog to keep track of happenings here with our critters and life related to them. Fun things are happening this year, or will be eventually! Will be slow going at first, but we'll see what gets accomplished!

I will start with introductions with each of our critters....and us.

My name's Angie, and I live here with my husband, Jeff, and my son, Alex, and our menagerie of animals. I am a stay-at-home mom, Alex is 6 years old, and just about done with kindergarten, and Jeff works in construction. We have 5 horses (1 Arabian, 2 Quarter Horses and 2 minis), 2 mini donkeys (with a baby on the way), and 5 cats (3 house cats, and two in the barn). We also have 9 chickens, all young white leghorn-type hens. We live near Madison, Wisconsin on a small hobby farm.

My hobbies include my animals, of course, and my family, biking, photography, reading when I have the chance, and designing websites. I enjoy horseback riding and just being in nature. I also have NO building skills, so another hobby of mine is trying to keep my hubby busy when he's got time at home (which isn't very often!)

Anyway....that's enough about us......I'll get started on the introductions! You can always see more about our critters on my website at http://www.glacierridge.com! One of our mini donkeys is due to have a foal in August, and we're quite eager for that arrival!