Snapshots From A Farm Visit

I had one baby fantail pigeon left this season, and it was in a nest on the floor between the wall and the food bin. I feared the cold nights would be its undoing, yet it continued to grow and look healthy each time I checked:

The little thing was doing fine until one morning when it simply wasn't there anymore. I hunted through the pigeon room but it was gone. Then I saw two holes where rats apparently had gotten in. Farm life can be filled with beauty and contentment, but there are also heartbreaks:

But back to beauty - the red Asiatic Lily continued blooming into October:

And my sister came to visit, trying valiantly to get Remy and Blue to play with their Jolly-Ball. They weren't interested:

They wanted to play, but not with the Jolly-Ball. She wedged a pear inside its handle and got a brief reaction from them, but only to remove the fruit and eat it:

These two fun, friendly little guys are quite tame - but they also have minds of their own:

My sister's juggling partner (they are amateur jugglers and travel to conventions of fellow enthusiasts) also tried to interest Remy in his Jolly-Ball, but with similar lack of success:

I turned off the electric fence so we could take the dogs for a romp in the north field:

There isn't much the dogs love as much as a romp in a natural setting. As for us humans, we liked it also:

There is a gravel road between the north field and the house, so I try to get the dogs to heal before we cross it. We were approaching the road in this picture, so I got all the dogs except Jack to heal. Luckily, there is little traffic on the road:

I got a preview of their juggling routine. Alas, it was a short visit and soon they were off to a juggling convention:

Miniature Horses Without Cows

With the Red Poll girls all in the north field, Remy and Blue had the south field all to themselves. That meant that the grass got to recover, growing taller by the day:

 With so much more grass than they could eat, the little equines got to pick and choose. Wildflowers began to bloom all across the pasture:

 Nobody likes Buttercups anyway, but they do like Dandelions. Blue became very choosy about his diet:

 From the looks of things, they may not have been eating the Dandelions either, though the field was so big that it was hard to tell:

 The old, wasted hay in spots where the bale feeder was last winter became sleeping spots:

 Or, when they're in the barn, they just sprawled out and relaxed:

 I've been locking them out of the barn on pleasant days and I coated their favorite chewing spots with Ivory Dish Detergent mixed with bitters and red pepper. Still, to help keep them from boredom, I hung their Jolly-Ball from the ceiling:

 Remy found it only mildly amusing but Blue didn't care at all:

 But they are an attractive pair out in the pasture:

 I tried to fill a bucket with compost for a planting I was making. When I diverted my attention and began tossing rocks out of the compost pile, Remy decided to "help" me. He'd have tipped over the bucket and run away with the shovel if I hadn't stopped him. He's a playful boy:

 They, like the dogs, watch my every move. I guess I never need to feel alone:

 Life is good for two little horses in June:

The Summer Adventures Of Remy And Blue

Blue and Remy spent several weeks across the road with the cows in the north field. They weren't happy about it at first but quickly adapted. When they were eating their grain in the barn, I noticed their love for tipping over their bowls and eating off the floor. So I started bringing them grain in wide, flat bottomed bowls. They did seem to prefer eating that way, though they sometimes tipped them over also, apparently just for fun:

The cows would gobble up their grain quickly and then move over to steal the horses' grain. So I began standing guard while the little fellows ate. I often had to separate the horses too. It seems no one gets along well when there is grain:

All went well for a few weeks:

And then I moved them all, both cows and horses, back across the road into the south field:

Remy was happy and alternated running with grazing:

Blue generally follows Remy's example and the two of them love to play. Their play mostly consists of running, with whichever horse is in the lead trying to kick the one behind him:

But then they settle down to graze:

I carried out their Jolly-Ball once again and tried to get them interested:

Blue wouldn't even look at it. Remy made a half hearted attempt at play and then returned to grazing, so I put the Jolly-Ball away in the barn, hoping it will be a fun novelty the next time I bring it out:

Rosella is especially fond of the little horses and often hangs out with them instead of with her fellow cows:

Blue is not very good at coming when called, but Remy usually doesn't even wait to be called. I took this picture while rapidly backing up to keep from being too close:

But then Remy stopped for another bite of grass and I got an easy shot. It seems that all is well with the miniature horses:

Blue And Remy, Miniature Horses

The cows have occasionally moved across the road to the north field but Remy and Blue have stayed in the south field and had access to the barn. This is Remy, grazing:

Blue, grazing:

They have continued to get a bit of grain twice each day, fed in separate stalls. The stalls are locked to keep them from fighting but one day they didn't come in and I had to go tend to the cattle, so I left a bowl of grain in each stall. When I returned, I was happy to see that they were peacefully eating their grain but amused to see that they'd switched stalls. I assumed that, like dogs and humans, they figured the other one's grain was much better than their own:

At the end of each grain feeding, I give them a few minutes to clean up spilled grain. Then I move in and sweep up what remains in an effort to thwart the mouse population:

I'm used to it now, but I frequently have entered the barn and found what looked like a dead horse. Of course it's only Remy, living his life of leisure:

When I emptied the stock tank and scrubbed it out, Remy and Blue were right there to "help." They sneaked up behind me to surprise me, grabbed tools I was foolish enough to leave on the ground and pranced through the water, splashing like two toddlers:


Since it was hot and they seemed to like water so much, I sprayed them with the hose a few times. They seemed to think it was fun, but Remy rolled in the dirt afterwards. It appears to be great fun for him. Just look at his smile!:


He rolls immediately after I mist him with fly spray too. He likes getting sprayed, but then rolls on the ground afterward. Blue does not like the fly spray and simply runs away - just as the cows do:

It's clear to me that the little horses love their cows. They ran to great them when I moved them back into the south field. Blue ran right up to Rosella and then stepped on the brakes. They all do get along well:

Swallowtail Butterflies were everywhere one day and Blue made friends with this one. I thought he might try to eat it, but apparently he just wanted to be "neigh-borly:"

The two little guys haven't played with their Jolly-Ball much, but one day they decided to do so:

They had a grand time, and I was happy to be there to get a couple of photos:

Happy Birthday, Remy And Blue!

Well, it's sort of a compromise birthday celebration because Remy was born on May 18, 2015:

 And Blue was born on May 28, 2015:

Blue is the black one with white socks and blue eyes. He has remained 33" tall since I got him. Remy (short for Remington) is the bay (brown body with black mane, tail and lower legs) was 36" but has quickly grown to 38". They may or may not grow any more. I'll just have to wait and see:

They were playing and wrestling one afternoon out in the field and I thought it would be a great opportunity to turn this into a birthday party:

So I carried the Jolly-Ball over to them. Remy, already in a playful mood, grabbed it by the handle and started playing keep-away:

Blue wanted to take it from him but didn't understand that it needed to be grasped by the handle. He kept trying to grab the big ball:

 "Look, little buddy. This is the handle:"

 "Give me that ball!"

 "Ha ha, no way. Come and get it, Junior!"

When Remy finally dropped the ball, I handed it to Blue and he was happy to grab the handle but didn't know what to do next:

 Remy got tired of waiting and began to graze:

Until his first opportunity to steal the Jolly-Ball and then the game resumed. It was a great celebration of their first birthdays, even though not on the exact day. What they don't know yet is that they are now old enough to be gelded (neutered), so the vet will be paying them a visit soon: