A Season for Harrowing

Normally, our plow first  breaks the ground here around April 1st. With the weather being so uncommonly warm, however, we have been out plowing and discing for more than a week already.  This three acre field, rented by a local farmer in Preston, will bear a large vegetable crop for resale. The plans of the farmer is to labor as much as possible with horse power,  rather than tractor. Two days worth of work and much of the ground is plowed and disc harrowed, although there is far more acreage to harrow for cover crop. 

Yesterday, we put four of our horses to the harrow, and these pictures show the result of that. For those of you who would find interest in the mechanics of driving four under the "Ohio" or "Midwest Amish" system of lines, go tot this video - Terry explains it all!  http://youtu.be/YRQa0Jwh1N8

Ponies, Ponies, Everywhere!

I think you would be pretty hard pressed to find anyone who, at one point or the other in their lives, didn't dream of having a pony. It is funny how after years of owning big, bold, beautiful draft horses, I am suddenly realizing how fortunate I am to now have PONIES! All the obvious things aside, like the ease of keeping them, cleaning up after them, and harnessing and hooking them, what I love about ponies most is that they are spry, willing, and plain adorable.

We bought Buttercup last summer, and as most of you know, he has been a fun addition here. Skittles was given to us, completely unbroke to harness. Less than four weeks of training has turned Skittles into a wonderful carriage pony. We have terrific plans for these ponies. Stay tuned to see what is in store!