Belle's New Horse

My friend Belle has bought her first horse! And after a lot of looking, it turned out to be one that was very close to home. 

Sultanna.

It made sense when I thought about it. Belle's kids had absolutely fallen in love with Sultanna and the feeling was very much returned. Sultanna was so gentle with them and enjoyed their company.

She is the perfect "first horse" for someone. And so Tim agreed to sell Sultanna to Belle.

He has been helping not only Belle but also the kids learn how to care for a horse and to ride. They have learned to longe her and to tack and untack her safely. The indoor arena is getting heavy daily use right now, something that I know makes Tim happy. (He has always loved it when people come out to the barn.)

Belle and her kids have even gone on some rides through the pastures with Tim on Eazy, Belle on Sultanna, and one of the kids riding Hokey. (Boy, were the kids excited to tell me about THAT!)

It's a win-win situation for everyone, and I am thrilled for Sultanna, for Belle and her family, and for Tim (and me) that Sultanna is still around and not going anywhere.

Was I surprised? I sure was. But in retrospect, it's perfect.

 

Sweet Girl's Second Day

Sweet Girl's second day of life started off snowy and chilly.  (That's April in Indiana - temps in the 80s are expected later this week.)

Sultanna, Sweet Girl, and Hokey were out in the pasture when I arrived early in the morning.

Like the old barn and the loafing shed, the blue barn can be opened to allow the horses to come and go as they wish.  I could tell that it had been used overnight.

Hokey has been told to keep his distance, and that continued on into the foal's second day.

During my afternoon visit, Sultanna continued to tell him to stay away.

She even took her baby to the far side of the pasture when Hokey strayed closer than Sultanna was comfortable with.

When Snickerdoodle, Sultanna's brother was born, Tim invited Lisa's students to come up with a name for him and Snickerdoodle was the winning name. Lisa sent Tim another list for this baby yesterday.

The list she sent was heavily influenced by a book the class is reading together. No name has been given yet, but in the meantime, I am calling her Sweet Girl.

More baby pics to come, so stay 'tooned!