Quick note.. shortly after I posted this story my husband decided Skippy was more appropriate than Zipper… so her name has been changed!

Well, we’re back to Zipper… for some reason we Skipper/Skippy just didn’t work for her!

Let me start by the beginning.    Early December I noticed that my neighbor down the hill had acquired a Border Collie puppy.  This would seem appropriate for him as he deals in cattle.  Buying, selling, transporting…  so using the talents of this kind of dog was natural.  He had her in a 4 x 8 pen that held a doghouse & a bucket of water.

About a week after I noticed the puppy there, I also realized that I never saw Randy take this little dog out.  At this point, I’d stop & visit the puppy every morning on my way to the barn.  I really couldn’t drive by without stopping… she’d sit between her dog house and the side of the pen and very submissively bark & wag her tail.

She had ample shelter but didn’t have a view of anything until whatever it was would pass in front of her.  On her right was the barn wall and on her left was round hay bales.  All she could really see was my driveway.

It was tearing me up to see this beautiful little dog confined this way.  Border Collies are extremely high energy dogs and are meant to work.  One of this dog’s mission is to please humans.  She had no company whatsoever. Mouse would occasionally make it down the driveway and check her out but that was it.
Just before Christmas I called Randy & briefly talked about his dog.  His comment was that she had food, shelter & was not mistreated therefore I shouldn’t worry about her.  He just couldn’t understand that dogs need more.   I finished the conversation by saying that if ever he wanted to part with her, I’d be happy to help him find her a good home.

My visits continued.. at one point I removed her collar.  She had grown out of it and Randy obviously hadn’t noticed that it had become very tight.  Not life threatening but certainly very uncomfortable.  Every day I would tell Scott how bad I felt about the little dog… and every time he’d respond by say, “Christine, you can’t save them all”…

Well, last Tuesday night (January 12th), after I had just stopped and given the puppy a few treats, I pulled into my driveway and saw that Randy had followed me up.  I greeted him with a smile saying, “Are you coming to give me crap because I’m giving your dog treats?”
He responded by saying, “No of course not… I just want to find out if you want her.  I’m having to move and I can’t deal with a dog at this time”.
I was flabbergasted!  I really didn’t want another dog.  Dealing with Mouse was tough enough… a Border Collie?  Not sure I wanted to sign up for a 15 year contract again – especially so soon after Sheba had just passed.  What was I to do?  There was no way this little dog could stay there!  So I said I’d take her!

After my barn chores the next morning I went to get her (she was only about 100 feet from my barn).  She was so excited!  As far as I know, she’d never been on a leash and we did get tangled up several times but we made it to the barn.  She was very skittish and everything around her intimidated her.  She looked at the goats strangely…  then there was this gleam in her eyes and it was like she made a realization… “Hey, this is where I’m supposed to be!  I’ve got animals to gather and herd!  Yay!!!!”

She spent her first day inside the barn area but when I returned the next morning, she was so happy to see me that I just couldn’t leave her by herself.  We decided that if she was a “good girl” she could share the house with Mouse,  our Bichon Frise.

And what a joy she turned out to have around!  She’s a smart dog she is and such a quick learner!  For her first night I tied her on a short leash to the dresser next to my bed.  Besides moving around a lot, she was relatively quiet.  I can’t trust her loose – she has a tendency to get “chewy” – if I catch her in the act, a stern “No!” has her stop immediately but if I wasn’t there, that item would be totally destroyed.

Her and Mouse get along well enough.  Zip wants to play and Mouse doesn’t quite know how to respond to this overly excited, yappy and brave little dog!  They have moments where we either have to scold them or just send them outside.

Zip’s natural instinct to herd and gather has gotten growls and snarls from the rest of the pack…  “Who is this dog who want’s us all together?  What is this all about?”  She also “stares” a lot at the other dogs and it appears she’s staring right in their eyes.  To the big Mastiffs, this can mean a standoff – but it’s not at all Zips intentions.. it’s like she’s saying, “Now what? Now what?  I’m ready, let’s do it!”

Scott & I are happy she is with us.  So what’s another extra muzzle to feed?  In the big scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter.  This beautiful dog needed a good, loving home and she found that here with us.  It also makes me very happy to see that Zip is as attracted to Scott as she is to me.  The first day she was here I thought this dog would never leave my side but she has adapted well and knows her rank in the pecking order with the other dogs.  Now if Mouse can just stop squeeking!

The funny thing about the addition of this new dog, Mouse has become a little more attached and loving towards Scott & I.  Until the arrival of Zip, Mouse would spend most of her day (and evening), outside with the Mastiffs.  It’s like she preferred their company to ours.   Now she’s always with us.

Yesterday Zip’s crate came in and she spent the night in it.  I  heard her whine a little but she calmed down very shortly after all the lights had gone out.  Her crate is not in our bedroom (neither is Mouses’), and I was afraid that she might be a problem – her first night in the crate.. it could have been ugly!  But it wasn’t.. she was the perfect little dog!

I’m amazed at how quickly she learns and how delicate she is with us.  She always comes when you call, practically sits on your feet and gently lifts her front paws.. but oh so gently, and sort of stands against you.  I know I shouldn’t allow it but she’s so gentle about it!  Her favorite toys are my old pink plush slippers!

At this point, the most difficult issue to resolve with Zip might never be resolved because of her natural herding instinct.  She loves to come to the barn but absolutely cannot resist chasing/herding the goats!  She scares them nearly to death!  A few bigger goats like Annabelle & Noelle aren’t impressed but the little ones just run and run.  Zip doesn’t even try to touch them.. it’s just about making them move!  I’m trying to keep her on a leash at my side while I tend to the goats but it’s not easy, not to mention that Zip is just so excited about it all!  I’m going to have to look into the special training she’ll need to make barn visits easier on the goats, and ducks, and chickens, and horses, and llamas!  Zip will try to herd/chase anything that moves when she approaches!

We’re very happy with this lovely dog & I’m sure she’ll be with us for many more years to come!

I’ll never forget the day my husband & I were sitting on our patio in Wylie, Texas enjoying the hustle, bustle of 4 pesky little Chihuahuas. Dallas, Woody, Murphy & Lucy were the cutest little things! They totally ruled the house! Friends & neighbors would comment on how loving & friendly our little Chi’s were and how they were not like most Chihuahuas.

Amidst the puppy activity Scott said to me, “Honey, I’d really like a “guy” dog!” He didn’t know much about dog breeds & left it up to me to find the perfect pet to add to our already busy canine household. I knew right away he’d love a German Shepherd. They’re big but gentle, protective but loving and extremely smart.

I found a family in Royce City, about 45 minutes away, who had a large litter of pups to choose from. We met the folks and were able to see both the dam & sire of the litter. Daddy was HUGE & scarey looking but he was exactly what Scott wanted in a “man” dog.

Scott picked Sheba (her name hadn’t been chosen then) – or more than likely Sheba picked Scott & off were were to introduce this 8 week old bundle of paws & ears (she had yet to grow into those), to our clan of little fuzzbutts.

We decided to name her Sheba because we’d figure she’d be the queen of the dogs in our household. Well, that was what WE figured. The Chihuahuas hadn’t agreed to that. It didn’t take long to see that Sheba was at the bottom of the pecking order and she didn’t rule… not yet!

Eventually they all got along and became one big clan. I don’t know if Sheba became to think she was just an over-sized Chihuahua or if the Chi’s thought they were under-sized GSD’s but they all got along perfectly!

Through the years Sheba grew into her role as family (and Chihuahua), protector. We traveled in a motor home extensively for a few years as our business led us from one location to another. Sheba always did well and it was a great assurance to know she was always “on guard”. Of course the Chihuahuas were the “first alert” system but all it took was one deep GSD “woof” and anyone coming to the motor-home was immediately cautious.

Probably the nicest thing about Sheba was her devotion & attachment to both of us. Usually German Shepherd dogs are attached to one member of the family. But not our girl. She would get very nervous if one of us left. It was like she felt she couldn’t do her duty as protector if we weren’t together under her watch.

As the years rolled by Sheba just got older… Years of jumping in and out of the truck bed (her favorite place to lay whether it was moving or not), had given her arthritic shoulders. We’d often call her “Hopalong”. However, if she thought she saw something in the field, she was off! She’d love to chase the White Tailed deer but all she ever caught was the occasional squirrel.

We knew Sheba didn’t have many years left with us. German Shepherds start getting old real fast by the time they’re 10 but our girl was doing pretty good. She had a great life & roamed our property at her will. She’d never been chained or restrained in any way. But she did start to slow down and became very temperamental with the small dogs. Earlier this year she mortally wounded Rocky, our 4 lbs Chihuahua. Late this summer she severely hurt Taz, Rocky’s little brother. The relationship with the 2 of them was never the same. Little Taz stayed as far away from her as he could. As a matter of fact, Taz hasn’t been the same since then!

Mid-November we returned from our cruise to find that Sheba had lost lot’s of weight during our 8 day absence. Tim confirmed that she did throw up most of what she ate. We brought her to the vet who couldn’t find anything wrong with her except for a small case of roundworm and a low white cell blood count. She was on antibiotics for 10 days and seemed to do a lot better.

At this time we had brought Sheba to live with us in our house – she had spent the last year living at the “office” with Angel, Taz, Mandie & the 2 cats. She took great pleasure in this “treat”. The only reason we hadn’t brought her in before was because of her incredible shedding! I felt it in my heart that Sheba was seriously ill and thought she deserved to finish her life in the house. She’d been so loyal and loving for the past 10 years, I owed it to her to live with the fur floating all through the house!

She continued to loose weight and vomit everything she dared to eat. We brought her back to the vets and they kept her. They did exploratory surgery to see what was blocking her intestines (the barium radiology didn’t show anything), and only found a horribly inflamed pancreas. Cancer was highly suspected and a biopsy was sent out.

I visited her on Friday the 18th of December. She wasn’t doing well at all. She was on IV and didn’t perk up at all when she saw me. She got up and vomited a pool of blood. I told the vet I was coming by the next day with Scott & we’d let her go…

The vet called Saturday and said she appeared to be doing a little better… Sheba had asked to go out. She was on different meds and the vet suggested we give her until Monday. Well, early Monday morning Dr. Bristol called and said she was going downhill fast. So Scott & I headed up there. I brought her old stinky dog blanket/bed and laid that in the truck bed.

Dr. Bristol brought her out – by then she was just a sack of limp skin & bones. She’d gone from a 110 lbs dog to a barely 60 lbs dog in less than a month. As she was laid there, weak and looking so defeated, Scott started talking to her and she lifted her head and looked in his eyes and I could swear that she smiled at him. It was like when she saw him, a certain peace came to her.

As she lay there in her favorite place in the world, while Scott & I comforted her, Dr Bristol led her to Rainbow Bridge

We had her cremated and her cremains will be disbursed throughout the field where Sheba loved to run and chase squirrels, bunnies and sometimes White Tail deer.

Sheba, we loved you so much… you are missed and thought of often…

My little Peewees had been confined to an inside stall since they got here last Saturday.  It is a nice stall, very comfy… lots of fresh hay for bedding, very airy & open but still I knew they were dying to get out.

I had let them explore the barn and they checked everything out – sniffing chickens, looking at the goats looking at them… just looking out at “freedom”

I had even walked them around on a lead and let them nibble on grass & clover… yes, there’s still some beautiful greens out there.  Stuff my goats would NEVER eat!  Spoiled goats… all they want is hay & their morning grain!  Note here to anyone thinking of getting goats to keep their grass trimmed – it doesn’t work.. goats will only eat grass if they have absolutely nothing else!

In any case.. I got my peewees settled in a new pen.  One that opens directly to the barn yard.  I removed the goats that I thought could be a problem (now those goats hate me), left behind Annabelle, Bongo, Herman, PeeWee  & Boo (they’re not interested in the horsies), and of course Ms Piggy.  Their new pen is again filled with fresh hay for bedding (and snacking) and is large enough to accommodate them long term.

As soon as they saw the gate opened & the view of the barnyard, they just trotted out and made it to the nearest clover patch.  I stayed close by  – on the lookout for the dreaded “clover-slobber” but they didn’t react to it so I left them to do what horses do best… browse.

Of course when the sun went down they weren’t anywhere near being ready to come in but I didn’t want to leave them out.  They need to be safe in their pen.  I caught Blondie (oh yeah, they wouldn’t just come to me, I had to catch them), and lead her in with Bogart following close behind.

I got them settled in with a cup of Junior Equine formula and they were blissfully happy to be locked in again!  Fresh Bermuda grass, grain, clear fresh water… what more could they ask for?

I took a few pics.. enjoy & feel free to comment.  I love to read what my fans have to say!

First, let me tell you a little about my farrier.  Earlier this summer I found out that my neighbor, Val is a farrier and an awesome one at that!  She’s extremely patient and always talks to the horse she’s working on.  For example, she doesn’t just pick up a horse’s foot.. she asks for it!  And she’ll rub the horse’s foot until it the horse realizes what’s being asked of him and lifts it’s foot.

Val has also been kind enough to show me how to trim my minis.  She was as patient with me as she was with the horses!  She’s owned horses for many years and I certainly consider her a horse expert.  She may not know it but she’s on my emergency contact list… our vet is about an hour away (we use the same vet, Dr. Maben Thompson from Upper Cumberland Veterinary Hospital in Crossville).

The day after Bogart & Blondie arrived I called her and arranged to have her come and take care of their first trim.  I emailed her some links from Janell Jensens website.  I wanted Val to have an idea of what needed to be done.

When Val saw my cuties I think she was taken back by their small stature and the strange way their hooves were growing.  Dr Thompson was here at the same time to evaluate my little ones & he also agreed that Bogart needed some heavy duty trimming to slowly correct the direction of the hoof growth.  Val and I agreed that she’d do a bit more research before putting a knife to their hooves.

However, she just couldn’t resist and after doing an awesome job on Blondie, she got to work on Bogart.  She just filed and “sanded” but did a great job.  The horses resisted a little to start with but when they realized that Val wasn’t about to give up, they gave in!

My husband who just recently got a Droid cell phone (has tons of awesome features), shot some video with it that streamed directly while he was shooting.

The quality of these videos is pretty good considering these videos were taken with a cell phone and were streamed live.. meaning that while the farrier was working on Blondie, anyone could have logged on to Scott’s Qik site and watched while Val was working!  I’d say these videos are pretty awesome!  I’ll try to get Scott to do some more when Bogart & Blondie are walking on pavement so you can see their little feet in action.

The video below will turn… you don’t have to adjust your monitor! 

Dr. Thompson was amazed when he saw my little ones!  An avid horseman and farm veterinarian, he’d never seen Dwarfs before.  He gave them a thorough check up… all is well.  Their lungs sound fine, teeth are good, eyes bright & shiny.. the only thing that bothered him was their feet and because he had no experience with Dwarfs he was at a loss to help me.  He and Val agreed to a line of action and Val will look into the option of fitting little magic shoes.  He gave them both their 5-way shot and gave me their Potomac Horse Fever  shots to administer next week.

They also had quite a bit of debris deep within their fur.  Doc thought it was rain rot.  My donkeys had rain rot on a few areas last year & their fur had fallen out.  These little ones are pretty furry.. no loss of fur there but it just feels like chunks of crud well attached to the fur here & there.  He also suggested that if they stay furry into next summer, I should consider clipping them.

Of course, wouldn’t you know it, the doc hadn’t been gone 30 minutes and all of a sudden Blondie started to have green snot drip from one of her nostrils!  After speaking to him today he instructed me to give them 2cc of Penicillin once a day for 3 days.  He wasn’t really concerned about it unless she stopped eating.  If the vet isn’t worried, then I’m not!

Here are a few shots I took after all was said and done!  I’m glad to report that both my babies behaved very well considering they’d never had their feet even lifted off the ground.

By the way, you’ll notice that we used my goat stand to work on them!  It still was a little low but Val managed to make it work.  I’m sure I’ll be seeing Val quite a bit in the next few months!

Last weekend I spent a few days at the Cookville Exotic Animal Auction which is held about every season.  I was hoping to acquire a bottle fed female Llama.  However, no females were available & I had been warned about bottle fed males so my visit was not fruitful… so I thought.

When I returned Friday with Scott, I found 2 little dwarf minis stalled together.  I allowed myself to enter their pen and examine them as best as I could with the little amount of knowledge that I have on these little guys.  Their legs were not bent, their hooves were relatively normal & the stallion had a slight under bite.  Oh but how cute they were!

Regardless of his small stature, the little stallion was so “studly” that he would answer to the whinny’s of the larger size horses!   He’d lift his head and practically lift his front feet off the ground the return the calls!  It was so cute (only because he’s so small).

Against my better judgment because I have at least a little knowledge of the negative aspects of owning dwarfs, I found the seller & begged him to sell me these 2 babies bypassing the auction process.   To no avail.  He had heard of a “freak” scout that was looking to purchase unusual looking animals for his traveling “circus” and like many people, dollar signs were all that mattered.

It was a long day… I returned at least 100 times to their stall to just look at them and pray that they’d find a good home.  I didn’t return Saturday for the auction…  I knew that I’d go head to head with anyone bidding on them and that’s not a good thing.  Auctions can be dangerous & I’m well aware how quickly bids can rise.   I knew I’d end up spending way more than I wanted to and way more than the value of the dwarfs.

To make an already long story short, Saturday the seller called me and offered me the dwarfs.  He was unhappy with the bidding & let me have them both for $1500.  He expected to make more than $1000 each but the auctioning held at about $1200.  He was “kind” enough to deliver them to me.  I was so happy, I cried!

This gentlemen (from Kentucky), currently has about 50 miniature horses on his farm and he claims he has between 1 & 3 dwarfs a year.   His breeding schedule should be examined to stop breeding the animals that are producing the dwarfs.  My little ones are of different mares but the same stallion… that should tell him something.  But then again, maybe the dwarfs are his cash cow.. so sad.

Bogart & Blondie arrived early Saturday evening and were lead to their new stall.  They were very skittish & not very friendly.  They are 3 & 4 months old and have probably not received too much socialization.  That’s okay… I know that within a week, they will be following me like puppies (I hope!).  I left them with a flake of fresh hay, a bucket of fresh water and quick kisses…

Friday, October 30th was overcast but warm. I had been invited to bring to our county’s Halloween celebration some animals for the children to enjoy and offer pony rides. I opted on bringing just a few goats and such as the weather was leaning on the rainy side.

The event was at the county courthouse in Dayton, Tennessee. I was too busy to check out everyone else but it appeared that there were many vendors (crafts, food, etc.). Rhea County Animal Shelter brought several adorable puppies for adoption. However the most pleasing was all of the costumed children (and many adults), walking and enjoying the warm weather.

We were ready for visitors by 1:30 and we pulled out around 7:00pm. I know that there were many disappointed children that showed up at sundown but by that time my little animals were ready to go home! It had been a very long day for them. I’m certain that more than 100 children were entertained by my goats Gracie, Bongo & Muffin. Not to mention Ms Piggy, Dr Seuss the Silkie rooster and my little Lionhead bunny.

I collected about $43 in donations which I handed over to Rocky Potter of the sheriffs department. Proceeds will go towards the Christmas Toy Drive for the children of our community.

I was very thankful for the help that I received setting up and tearing down. The volunteers were awesome and made my task so much easier! Thank you, everyone!

The weather forecasts 80% chances of rain tomorrow. If the sky stays clear, I’ll bring the miniature horses for pony rides. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

I was able to publish a few pictures of the hundreds that I took… It’s not easy to take pictures of animals in constant motion amongst excited children!

I’m sure you’ve read about my Bichon Frisé, Mouse. I got her because Murphy had been gone for a few months and I was ready (and needing), a sweet little house dog that had eyes for me only.

I chose to get a Bichon because they are small but sturdy (about 12 lbs max), non-shedding and totally devoted to their owner.

Well, although Mouse comes from good stock – I think she may have been a Labrador in a previous life! She loves the water, loves to romp, get dirty, play with our 120 lbs + Mastiffs, doesn’t like to cuddle, always ready to chase/fetch…. well, maybe she’ll outgrow these habits. Not that there’s anything wrong with what she does.. it’s just that it’s not what I was expecting!

I love the little hard-headed snot and she brings me & my husband great joy. Speaking of husband, did I mention that “MY” lap dog prefers Scott’s company to mine!!! Well, maybe she’ll out grow that too and learn to love the mommy more!

Saturday I brought her to the barn to see her old friend Ms Piggy! Unfortunately I didn’t have my mini cam with me but did have my handy cell phone.

The videos below are of poor quality but you’ll get the gist of what a tramp my little Mouse is!

Enjoy but please don’t write to me to talk about the quality of the videos!

It’s been over 3 weeks since my last post.  Of course there’s always something interesting going on here.  Let’s see…

I had decided that Ziggy (the Zebu), needed more attention than I was giving him.  He was “shacking” up with my 3 young Billy goats & being much bigger than they are, he was definitely the “odd man out”.  I felt sad for him – every morning when I brought in their feed, he’d rub all over me and run around like an excited puppy!

I put a few ads out for him and wow!!!!  The phone never stopped ringing and the emails poured in!  I could have sold 10 Zebus!  I didn’t want to over price him but I wanted him to find his “forever” home soon.

He was purchased by Ms Pryse in Lenoir City, TN.  I believe he’ll be happy at her farm with her family & their horses.  Ms Pryse also purchased Buttons, my 6 month old filly.  Buttons was by herself in her pasture & I either had to find a buddy for her of her age or sell her to someone who’d work with her and give her the attention she too needed.

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Our county (Rhea County), has annual fair and I was invited to bring my petting farm or to offer pony rides with my new set up.  Tuesday, September 9th I spent the afternoon offering rides on Coquette, Ol’Blue, Buddy & Toffee with my beautiful blue & yellow carousel.  Toffee being less than 2 years old can’t bear the acceptable 60 lbs child but could carry babies 25lbs & less.

My mini horses performed like pros!  Everything went very well although it took a few turns for them to fully understand what was expected of them.  Towards the end of the event, we got really busy & Toffee had no “clients” but there were several children in line.  That’s when I realized that I needed another full size miniature horse.

I found “Glory” in Corryton, TN on Wednesday but she needed to integrate the herd & of course get some carousel training.  She’s a beautiful 8 year old mare but is a little shy and spooks a little bit also.  I’m not really concerned about it, she’ll adapt and will do very well.

The herd is not being all that kind to her but that’s how it is in the horse world.  Toffee is sharing her hay flake & so is Ol’Blue & Buddy is very aloof but of course, Ms Coquette is a complete witch with her!  Coquette is the “boss” and makes sure everyone knows it.  As a matter of fact, I happened to be between her & Buddy at an inopportune time & have 3 huge bruises on my legs.   I don’t really know how I got 3 bruises as there were only 2 kicks but  I have proof!

When we returned Saturday, we didn’t bring Toffee but brought Madigan, one of our miniature donkeys.  Well, horses just go round and round and look at the ground and don’t question what you ask of them but donkeys are another beast!  Madigan wanted to check everything out, verify where all the sounds came from, lifted her head trying to look over everything…  not good for doing rides.  Not to mention that Madigan didn’t want to stop and go… she just wanted to go, go, go!

Well, that didn’t last long so we just put Madigan in the trailer (it was only for a couple of hours, max).  She wasn’t very happy about that and certainly let us all know she was in there!  We all heard her pathetic braying!

Now I have to practice a little more with Glory, the new mare and make sure everyone knows their places.

I’m very proud of my herd.  We hadn’t been practicing very long and Tuesday was the first time they’d been exposed to a large group in entirely new surroundings.  I feel very blessed to have each and everyone of my animals!  I’ve learned that if you’re patient and kind, you can get your little animals to do pretty much anything that you ask of them.  As long as you’re reasonable in your demands & expectations.

I’ve been pouring over several books on horse training and unfortunately there really is not much out there that addresses miniature horses but ground training is basically the same.  One particular phrase sticks with me, “Train with your brain, not a two by four!”

All of my farm animals are special to me but I have to admit.. my mini horses are my favorite!

I recently acquired a used pony carousel & had it “cut to size” – it was built for larger horses.  Every day (that it’s not too hot out), I work the minis on it along with Madigan, the miniature donkey.  She loves to be ridden and most kids are excited about riding a donkey!

The important thing I learned is to train a “lead” pony – one that will take control and will drive the wheel for the others to just follow.  I think Buddy will make a great lead pony and I’m working with him every day.

I might be set up at the Rhea County Fair on September 7th & 11.  If I do set up, I’ll have a special treat for the kids.  This morning I bathed Coquette – who probably had never been washed in her life!  She did very well and I managed to keep her under control providing I had treats to occupy her mind.

It’s amazing how white & soft she turned out to be!  As a special effect, I dyed her tail pink!  I planned on doing her mane also but the weather didn’t cooperate.

Later on I bathed Buddy – he gave me a little bit of a harder time but we managed to get him nice and shiny.

Just as I was getting finished, we got hit by a huge storm!  In seconds I was wetter than Buddy!  We ran to the tool shed and stayed under cover for a bit – the rain didn’t bother Buddy at all… it was bothering me!

I managed to get his mane & tail untangled and nicely combed – he looks like a different horse!

All this time Old Blue was hanging around looking at me as if asking, “Am I next?”  I get around to her tomorrow!

Once I have every one shiny clean (it doesn’t last… Coquette rolled in the dirt before I had the gate locked behind her), we’ll work on the carousel!

I think bathing horses is a weekly chore if you want to show clean animals!

While on the subject of my mini horses, I’ve decided to try and sell Toffee & Buttons.  If Buttons sells first, I may end up keeping Toffee – she still has a good 18 months before I can use her as a carousel pony but I think she may turn out to be a good driving pony.  We’ll see what happens!

Some may have noticed that I removed the “Forum” option from my website.

I wasn’t getting any contributions and it just became something else for me to manage.  Then I had some “fans” who were sending me pics and there was no way for me to post them without spending huge amounts of time formatting and stuff.  I was just wracking my brain trying to figure an easy way to do this!

A week or so ago my smart (& handsome), husband created a Facebook account for our business… (light bulb coming on)…

So here it is!  Crazy Goat Lady now has a Facebook fan page!

You’ll need a Facebook account to get started – so, if you have one, just click the Facebook link on the right hand side of my website & you’ll be right there!

I think using the Facebook  “discussions” tab will be an easier way to get input and put out ideas than it was with my forum.

If you think there’s anything else that I can do to improve my site or the contents, please let me know.  I’m always open to new ideas.

Christine

The Crazy Goat Lady!