Autumn with Draft Horses

Autumn in New England, with draft horses.

Whenever someone tries to tell you, that horses are so last century, remember this: the contribution of the horse on the history of Man is what created Civilization as we know it.

Domestication, Education, and Power

Bippity Boppity Boo

"Bippity Boppity Boo" - a Quinceannera we did in Brockton, MA, July 6th with Diesel and Diamond on the Cinderella Carriage made the front page of the city's newspaper with HAPPY news! Happy Sweet 15, Jailene!

April is almost complete, and May is fast on its heels. We have already reported on Ron Guck's garden - the UConn Plow Match was a pretty big success, too! Diesel and Diamond, along with Michael and our love bug, Lincoln, took home numerous red ribbons from a field of about 13 teams and teamsters (we took second in every class we entered, including the multiple hitch). Boy, that Diamond sure is proving his salt! He is such a willing worker, keeps up with Diesel, pulls his own weight and has plenty of willingness to spare at the end of the day. And he sure is a good looking horse. Diesel actually seems very happy to work along side Diamond. We have been remarking, how much like our Duke Diamond is! Next week, Diamond and Diesel will do their first wedding together- then we will see how he fares in a more urban environment.

Photos: Thank you friend Posey Clements

Spring Plowing is Here

Terry with Diesel and Diamond (photo courtesy friend Posey Clements)

The strong backs of our Percheron work horses, Diesel and Dolly

Spring is here, and so is plowing season. We have already plowed the ground of a two acre garden in Hampton, including the lower plot which offered up a bumpy ride this year (a lot of rocks came to the surface). Diesel, Diamond and Dolly worked hard, sweated a bit, and got the job done. Terry did all the  teamster work this year - I shot photos and video. Just did not have it in me to get bucked off the plow in that rocky field. It has been known to happen to the best of us, you know.

Competition plowing is coming up, as will the preparation of community gardens, and our own little garden, for planting. See you there!

Cedar Knoll and the Month of March

ST. Patrick's Day Parade, Hartford.

The Pony Train - Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Ray of Light Farm.

Waiting patiently for wedding season...

March came in like a lion and is, at this point, going out like...a lion. Well, we have one more week to go and things can certainly change. This is, after all, New England. But we have had an unusual succession of snow storms, rain, and chilly, breezy days this March.

Plowing will start first week of April for us, IF things dry out a bit. We still have a considerable amount of slush in the shady areas, but those lands where the wind can rush over uninhibited is drying out. Meanwhile, March remains one of those months that we can't wait to see go. The occasional parade, bridal show and Easter egg hunts get us out and about in public. The common discussion always seems to be, "Just can't wait for warmer weather already!"

Cedar Knoll Music Videos

Lately, I have been implementing a new medium for getting our "draft horse way of life" message across to the masses...music videos! Our most recent is "Heavy Horses" by Jethro Tull. Click on this link to watch it to watch it: http://youtu.be/_lL71D5suwk. This video was particularly fun for me to do. I must say, Jethro Tull's magnificent tribute to our beloved work horses was an inspiration for me as a youngster, undoubtably helping to sway my allegiance towards horses in harness.

Another recent video is "Snow" by Loreena McKennitt. As the title would imply, this video is of our horses put to sleighs, as well as dreamy romps in freshly fallen snow. You can see this video here: http://youtu.be/wx4wi6WOdH8 Feel free to leave a comment...we would love to read them.

There are still others. Be sure to follow cedarknollfarm on Youtube! Hope you enjoy these animated visions of our horses!

A New Year

Christmas was white at Cedar Knoll Farm. New Year's was white, also.

All that snow leads to sleigh rides!

Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year, Everyone!