This Little Racehorse Needs A Name

This filly is only eight days old and she's already practicing for her first race, running through the field as her mother sets the pace.  She needs a name that reflects her winning potential and celebrates her Indian heritage, which includes one family member named Cherokee Baby.   Any ideas for a name? 

Heather's Newborn Filly

It's hard to look at this little one and not see a sunny future.  In just a few days, she should be outside starting her new life  in the field with her mother, Hazy.       

Check out these great round bale feeders!

Horses are high maintenance animals and it can be frustrating when you spend more time on barn chores than you do in the saddle perfecting your equitation skills.   We decided early in the winter to try long-lasting round bales so we wouldn't have to haul small square bales all over the farm every day. Each of our three horses has a private paddock with a run-in shelter. We planned to put the round bales in the shelters to keep them dry but our hay supplier also suggested that we needed to put each bale in a feeder or there would be a lot of waste.   The metal or plastic feeders we saw online take up a lot of space and cost hundreds of dollars each. We needed three.  So we decided instead to order three "big bale buddies, " which are heavy-duty nylon bags that cost less than $100 each.  We couldn't be happier with our decision, although we do wish we had ordered the biggest bags available.  The big bale buddy fits tightly and is a bit challenging to get on.   If the bale is huge, you may have to peel off a layer of hay.  But it keeps the hay fresh and inside the bag and there's very little waste.  One bale is enough for one horse for at least a month.  That's at last four weeks for us to forget about hay and focus on getting our horses flexible and in the bridle for show season. 

Love This Trailer

We trailered our three horses in the Eby today and everything went smoothly--a big relief because this new transportation for them was a big ticket item.  It's a stock trailer that we customized to give us two forward facing side by side stalls with chest bar and head space in the front.  A floor to ceiling door separates the two stalls from an open area for one horse in the rear. It seems to be a very workable design.  I started jamming saddles and other supplies into the back seat of the truck and then I remembered the dressing room.  How can it get any better than this?