Good memories of a very funny lady...you will be missed by many, Joan Rivers!

(Duke & Diesel with Joan Rivers, Macy's Day Parade)

Draft Horses in Art

The draft horses of Cedar Knoll Farm in a painting by artist Elaine Juska Joseph. "Disc Harrowing", oil on gessobord, 11" x 14". 2014.

Hello friends! Our blog is not as active as it once was, but our Facebook page will keep you up to date!
Won't you please consider going over to Facebook and "liking" us?

#YOTH Year of the Horse galloping in... pic.twitter.com/UvTVPv0bP4
— Cedar Knoll Farm (@cedarknollfarm) January 31, 2014

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!

Hurricane Sandy

One of the problems with maintaining a blog is the time it takes to do it. Not since August have I done any updating, yet the busiest time of the year - Autumn - has come and gone, without the slightest detail of what we have done. Autumn is flying out of here at hurricane speeds (literally) as I write this. We are hunkered down with Hurricane Sandy (tropical storm of epic proportions? nor'easter?) battering about outside. We are lucky to be inland. Our family in Niantic will be dealing with what the news is calling, "flooding of epic proportions" on this October day with a full moon hiding above these raging clouds.

Here at the farm, horses are snug in the barn after a morning braving the winds and light rain, now that the winds are reaching 50+ mph and climbing. At 4 P.M. in our little corner of Connecticut, the storm hasn't technically hit us yet. Highways and bridges have been shut down, towns are evacuated along the coast, and I eagerly wait for updates from my son in New York and my daughter at her fiance's house for news from those locals. The newsman says that a tall ship has sunk off the coast of North Carolina, in seas burdened by waves above 26 feet. Our trucks, trailers and other vehicles were strategically placed last night, to offer some wind resistance to the barn doors, and to remain out of reach of big trees, should one fall. While moving bird houses and feeders from the garden I found, to my surprise, violets growing. It has been an odd season, with irises blooming is September, and now violets for Hallow'e'en. What is becoming of our seasons? Will our winter be mild again, or miserable? Last year at this time we were staring into almost a foot of snow in places. This year, a Monster Storm that is affecting pretty much the entire eastern seaboard has given us pause. It feels good, however, to be as ready as we can be. If worse comes to worse, we will hook up a team and drag away any downed trees, seasoning the wood for next year's fuel.

For those of you keeping track of our 'babies", Leila and Jessie - they are coming along BEAUTIFULLY! As most of you know, Leila was born here at Cedar Knoll Farm to our mare, Dolly. Jessie is Leila's half-sister (same stud) and we have had her here since she was about 3 or 4 months old. Now over two years old and 17.2 HH, they have been working the fields, driving on the road, and even being ridden some. They have a lot of filling out to do, however (in spite of their good height), and we won't put them to commercial use until later next year. Meanwhile, we will continue to go down the road with them, take them to different places, and do light farm work with them. They are quiet and obedient - I have a feeling this team will do us proud!

Snickers

We got a new paint pony! We named him "Snickers", since we already had candy-named ponies, Skittles and Buttercup. He is a good hand taller than Buttercup and a little less refined, but still cute as a button. We took him all the way into Hanover yesterday to visit with friends Joe and Tina. He's a quick little mover and very willing to go the distance! I think we are going to like having Snickers!

Cedar Knoll Farm: Full Swing into Summer

Looking back at our most recent blog entries (recent being about a month ago) I marvel at the change in scenery, and, of course, activity. Winter colors of browns, greys and hazy pinks have given way to lush green landscapes, splashed with a hodge-podge of botanical colors and glazed with turquoise skies. The weddings are in full swing, with Baraats nearly every weekend, too. Special events, like the Intermodal Transportation Center opening in Norwich with the Governor this past weekend, are popping up here and there. Victorian Days in Willimantic, parades, and the Pony Train in Coventry keep us hopping all over. We are loving it!

Spring Preparations are Done

An annual event, "Plowing the Community Garden" in Wilbraham, MA,
prepares 2 acres  of vegetable gardens, all by horse power. Our all around best team,
Danny & Dakota, on our hydraulic plow. The photo is by friend, Tory MacDonald.

Terry, harrowing with a line of five. This field of 20 acres or so will grow tobacco.
The harrow is a pin-tooth harrow.

June is just about here. Almost half way through 2012. Fields have been plowed, pin harrowed, disk harrowed, some already planted by their farmers. First cut hay was put up last week. As you can see from previous blogs, Spring was loaded with acres and acres of work and preparation for us and the horses. Now, the organic, community, and commercial crops can grow, and the fun stuff  - carriage rides, weddings, pony train - can get into full swing!

The Pony Train

Our new venture, the Pony Train, is taking off! Skittles and Buttercup have the dubious job of being the locomotive for our colorful collection of train cars!

Philomel Gardens, Prepared

As most of you have noticed from recent posts, we have spent the last few weeks quite seriously plowing and discing, almost every day until now. Twenty - two (plus) acres have been readied for planting, and Philomel Organic Gardens will begin their CSA program! We were excited to have been a very big part of this energetic farmer's quest for an earth-friendly way to prepare the ground for planting. We look forward to sharing in the bounty of our labor!