You're probably wondering why all of the sudden on one day there's like 5 updates to this otherwise silent blog. Honestly, we've been having so many things going on that this just fell by the wayside as we updated our Facebook and Instagram accounts (which we can do from a phone). But now we finally have a chance to breathe and wow, we have a lot of stuff to share! Who here remembers Gaffer? Gaffer was originally a straight adoption from Michigan to a local family here in New Hampshire. There's an entire blog entry about the epic road trip we went on to go get him (what should've been a simple 12 hour round trip became 27 hours of shenanigans and wrong turns). As sometimes happens, Gaffer and his family didn't work out. His previous owner said he was 'cold backed' - meaning he needed work before putting a saddle on him to prevent him from bucking, and it turned out to be more of a project than his first family was comfortable with tackling on their own. No worries though! Villi Poni will always take back their adopted Ponies if things don't work out.
Gaffer, as it turned out, mostly just had a saddle problem. Our trainer, who is fantastic with the Newfoundland Pony, had him in ship shape in no time at all, riding him, letting him follow her during chores, and babysitting the new human baby who accompanied mom into the barn. But as much as the staff loved him, Gaffer needed a family of his own. Remember the part about Pony Karma? A family, who also saw us on Chronicle and found out about the Newfoundland Pony's critical status, also found out how we use our Ponies for Equine Assisted Learning. They were interested in starting their own program for youth at risk at their farm in the Lakes Region, and also wanted to help out with conservation practices at the same time. How perfect was that? He will be heading for his new home by the end of the week, just in time for the holidays! We know Gaffer and his new family will have a wonderful time together, and we have another fantastic ambassador for the multi-talented usage of the Newfoundland Pony, and True has found her perfect family, too! We have a celebrity with Villi Poni! Meet Vinland's Cabot Chapman, or 'Cabot' - a rare line of an already rare breed, gorgeous bay stallion. Once made into a Stone Pony model that sold in a limited run for over $200 a piece, Cabot is a 'model' of his breed (see what I did there? I love puns). Cabot is of the Star of the Sea line, with only two registered foals on record. He's 20 years old this year, and his previous owner has very graciously allowed him to come here to help with conservation efforts. Being Star of the Sea - a foundation Newfoundland Pony stallion - direct son, Cabot is a perfect addition to our conservation breeding program. None of the mares we have are currently related to him, and while we wait for Ace to grow, Cabot will be be an outstanding fill in. Cabot is big for a pony - at 14.1 (almost 14.2HH), he's the only Pony we have bigger than Winsome. Cabot also comes to us for a little bit of rehab - outgrown by his previous kids, Cabot didn't have much to do, and fewer choices for compatible mares where he lived to help preserve the Pony. He was also having trouble keeping weight on, and his winter coat that once came in so full and thick wasn't doing so well. He was also kept by himself since he got frisky when the ladies were present. He needed some one on one attention, and thanks to wonderful people like yourselves, we managed to raise enough money for him to come here to a foster home who has already fallen madly in love with him (including his gelding buddy Phoenix). These were taken the day after he arrived to us. He's a little thin, without much muscle, but he's super sweet and possibly better behaved than the geldings he shares his home with. Currently, they are not in the same paddock, but they share a fence line, and like to play 'I'm not touching youuuu' over the rail. For an old man, he looks pretty frisky, right? Newfoundland Ponies can live to be over forty. While we build up his muscle tone and weight, and get his teeth taken care of (he's starting to wad hay and takes a very long time to eat it), we're hoping for a March breeding season with our mares. Some of which either have no living offspring, or none that are capable of carrying on their lines. Our beloved Misty, for example, has had 9 foals - 8 of which were colts that were gelded before they could have offspring, and 1 filly who died. Our Storm has had only 1 foal, also who died, and Lily who has never had a foal. We thought she and Ammy were going to have a foal this summer, but it turned out to be a false pregnancy. Winsome is almost old enough to breed (just imagine how big that baby would be), and her half sister Mandy has also never had any offspring. We keep telling Cabot if he's good and eats all of his hay and grain and works out, he's going to have a very good spring. And, even better, his foster wants to try him out with mounted archery and possibly even falconry! And, not to be outdone, we're hoping we can bring Cabot and possibly Cabot babies to Equine Affaire 2019! Stayed tuned for hopefully some adorable babies to help out our critically endangered Ponies!
If any of you have been to the farm in recent years, chances are you'll remember meeting Lily and Holly, a mother and daughter pair who have been together their whole lives. Lily, the bay with a perfect heart on her forehead, and Holly with her partial blaze. Holly is also the mother of Applewood Highland Heather, and grandmother to Mandy and Winsome.
Lily and Holly, while friendly towards people, have never really enjoyed being part of the herd. Loved and cared for, they prefer each other's company over that of the other ponies, and they are primarily driving ponies. We started looking for the perfect winter foster for them, where they could just be with each other, and with someone who had an interest in driving - neither have ever had a saddle on them, and they love to work together. We believe in something called Pony Karma. Every time we wonder why we're doing this, or thinking that we're fighting a losing battle against extinction or corruption of the Newfoundland Pony breed, something spectacular happens, and we are reminded that the cause is not lost, and there is a reason why we fight so hard for these precious Ponies. Such was the case with Lily and Holly. Thanks to NH Chronicle's segment from this spring, interest in our mission and this breed has skyrocketed, and we have met some wonderful people. Two of these wonderful people were a couple who not only lived nearby, but were very interested in learning to drive and in critically endangered breeds. Double bonus: they were interested in Lily having a foal to help preserve the breed. Triple bonus: they wanted to foster both Lily and Holly so they could stay together! Our director went to visit where Lily and Holly will be living, and it was like it was made for them. We will certainly miss having them onsite at the farm, but we know that they will be cherished and adored at their foster home. We are also thrilled to have new pony enthusiasts join us in our efforts to save the breed, learning all they need to know about the pony from us, not only their care, but their conservation as well. Holly and Lily will continue to educate and show off all that is wonderful about the Newfoundland Pony. Congratulations, Holly and Lily! |
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Hello, and welcome to our blog covering great things going on here at the Farm! We also share news & information on the breed and our ponies. Archives
September 2023
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