An Afternoon with My Horses, Pony, and Donkeys
Less than a week before Christmas and everyone here at my Bedford, New York farm is getting into the holiday spirit - even the horses.
I have 10 residents in my stable - four Friesians, a Fell pony, and five Sicilian donkeys. Every day, during my tour around the property, I always stop in to see them. Caring for equids is a huge responsibility, but it brings me great joy to know that they are happy and in the best possible health. They get lots of exercise, good food and vitamins, regular grooming, and plenty of attention. Recently, we also took photos of them in their yuletide best.
Enjoy these images.
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- This is my stable located at one end of my long Boxwood Allèe. It is in the center of a cobblestone courtyard flanked by two other buildings – my carriage house and my property office. If you look closely, above the main barn doors is an ornamental cast iron horse head gifted to me by my friend, antiques dealer Jim Klinko, owner of Furniture on Consignment II in Westport, Connecticut.
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- Inside my stable feed room, the horses’ dinner bowls are set out every afternoon and filled with the appropriate supplements for each equine.
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- These are commercial flour bins from a bakery. I use them in the stable for storing grains, and in my greenhouse head house for storing and organizing different planting mediums.
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- Along with their various supplements, each horse gets a cup of their favorite grains.
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- We also add a special veterinarian-developed performance powder that supports joints, muscles, hooves, skin, and coat. The horses all love it.
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- The horses each get a couple flakes of hay. It is crucial that we monitor the amount of hay the horses consume, so they don’t become overweight or develop digestion issues. My stable crew is very mindful of the horses’ hay intake. Most of the horses like their hay wet, so we soak it about 30-minutes and then let it drain completely before feeding. Soaking also cuts down on the amount of dust generated by the hay. We’re using a Scenic Road wheelbarrow designed with a special custom drainage hole that works so well for this purpose and for washing my dogs.
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- A smaller tub is used to soak alfalfa for Rinze. Alfalfa is nutritionally dense. It contains high levels of calcium, as well as magnesium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, lysine, vitamin C, vitamin K, and folic acid. It is also high protein forage, so it makes an excellent supplement for senior horses.
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- All the other horses get a few soaked alfalfa cubes in their bowls as an added treat.
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- Here’s Fernando bringing Hylke and Geert back to the stable from their paddock. These horses are so active, they love being outdoors, even when it’s rainy or cold.
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- And here’s Banchunch already eating his grains and supplements. Because horses have small stomachs relative to their size, they eat little and often. A horse needs food spread out, preferably in two to three feedings a day.
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- On this rainy day, after eating, their legs and feet are given a quick wash with tepid water to remove any mud and debris.
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- And then indoors, all the equines got into a bit of holiday spirit. Here’s Hylke with a Christmas cap – made just for horses.
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- Bond walked through the stable with his – so handsome.
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- And Geert showed this holiday cheer out the window of his stall.
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- My Fell Pony Banchunch also joined the fun.
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- This is Rinze, the patriarch of my stable – he is a gorgeous and faultless steed.
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- Even the donkeys participated – here’s Billie, one of two jennys or females, in my stable.
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- And here’s Jude “JJ” Junior, the other pretty girl.
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- Wait, what about the boys? They’re wondering what all the activity is next door.
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- Not to worry, they all got a turn. This is Truman “TJ” Junior. I think he likes the holiday hat.
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- And Clive, the tallest of my Sicilian donkeys.
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- And here’s Rufus wishing everyone a joyous holiday season. Just six days to go before Christmas. I hope you all have a safe and festive week ahead.
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