This message is from: ceacy henderson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hello List!
This is Sue Giargiari, a voice from the past. I think it has been a year?? since I have jumped in and posted to the list! I have missed you all! I am farm sitting at Ceacy's and she has been trying to come in from St Croix since yesterday! I just checked the airlines and she is on schedule to fly in at 11:00pm tonite with 5 pups from the Carribean! They are Carribean Found Hounds and every year Ceacy brings some strays back to find homes here, and she always does! I just checked outside and it is snowing lightly now. I know that they closed Logan in Boston but Bradley is still open so I guess I will allow for slow travel(4 wheel drive of course!) and head out in a few minutes. I can't believe that my Jack Russell Maggie is due with pups on the 15 but she is laying here on a chair all curled up with one of Ceacy's jacks, Lilly, and is doing some heavy breathing! Not sure whether to take her or what !! Welcome to the List! all of the newcomers in the last year! It is great to see new folks joining in! Peggy! I can't believe you are moving again! Good luck!! I won't tell anyone whether there is room in our new two car garage for a car yet! or how far the boxes in the 2 horse gooseneck dressing room have traveled this past summer! Time sure flys! Hello to all the newer members! Congratulations to Ruthie and Gayle's group and Catherine is unbelieveable.......! One other abbreviation......NFHA. Northeast Fjord Horse Association. When we do a mailing for the dues, which will be coming out in a newsletter shortly, we always have to make sure the NFHA members know that when they get the Equine Journal. We want them to be members of both! Stallions & Mares foaling...... We have had our stallion Hilmar, in with a mare when she has foaled. When Ragnar was born, Sunday and Hilmar were in a summer pasture together. We checked her bag twice a day, and she was one to "wax up" every time. We didn't check one day when we went off and when we got back after dark and headed the truck lites into the pasture, there was Sunday, down with Ragnar out except for the hind legs. He was sitting up looking at Sunday. Hilmar was just standing there about 20 feet away, head down, on guard! Dick had to go hook up the trailer, then we loaded Hilmar in first, and carried the foal while Sunday followed us into the trailer. Tied up Sunday in the back of the stock trailer and I sat with the foal just about in my lap so he wouldn't try to get up! Of course I talked to him the whole time and when he was all settled in, I went up to house to get a bucket of warm molasses water for Sunday to drink and when I got back and started to imprint Ragnar he heard my voice and went nuts talking to me and trying to get up!! He 'bonded' with me as I talked to him in the trailer on the ride from the field to home! LOL! I stayed out of the barn for quite a few hours and he was then fine, answering only to Sunday! We put her right back out into the pasture the next day, with Hilmar, the one near our house, and Hilmar was fine. Even when he pasture breeds, except for the "first" one of the summer, when he gets "carried away" and has to go " oh Yeah!" No chasing!! all over hill and dale!! The mare puts him right in his place if she isn't ready to breed. The foal, even at 9 days old, knows to stay the heck out of the way! They usually get up in front of mama! When we wean the foals, they stay with Hilmar, as the mares stay with him all summer and winter, as long as they are bred back. I keep Dena with him, his Dam, but she is bred back to Konggard. I do pay attention and I can see or hear any funny business if she were to come back into heat. If we take the two mares out to work, the foals stay in with Hilmar. Then they don't panic as they are in the "familiar" place. When the mares are all bred, and with Hilmar, Stella is the alpha mare! He is low man on the totem pole, except for breeding time. The colts will also play with him. On another note, I had a group with a bred mare, Rosita and two geldings, a yr and a half and a 7 year old, get in with Hilmar and his herd. When we found them, the younger gelding, who had grown up in the pasture with him, was grazing just a few feet from him. The gelding, who was brought in as a 6 uear old, was no where to be found. After I fixed the fence, I walked out to the very back woods of the pasture and there was the gelding, about as far away from the herd as he could get. Just standing there resting with one leg cocked. He had a few bites but nothing major. Hilmar drove him away but let the younger one stay. I geld at 4 months, a few weeks before weaning, less trauma and swelling on the youngster. The fillies stay with him until they are a yearling, maybe a little later. I haven't had one come into heat while that age. Knock on my wooden head! Congratulations to Janice! I too saw Herman in Norway and Catherine was trying her hardest to get him!! That is so neat that you brought him here to this country to add to our gene pool!! Well, I guess I have used up this year's allotted time and space! Take care and hope you all have a wonderful holiday season with your families and Fjordies of course! Sue g. Northfield, MA
