Sad day on the Farm

One of my canine friends at Gram and Gramp’s Farm died overnight.

Caitrin found Bianca, the Great Pyrenees, when she went to feed all of us dogs this morning.

We are all so sad. Bianca was a good friend.

She had a nice big yard and friends to play with. The farm doesn’t seem the same without her.

Like me, Gram and Gramps and our family have rescued/adopted all the dogs on the farm, and at Caitrin’s and Beth’s houses.

Bianca joins Gram and Gramp’s other guardian angel dogs up in Heaven. We’ll see her again there. With all the dogs, and horses and cats. I love the cats.

Sleipnir Onstar getting groomed for her GN Roadster to Bike Class

Travis, and Amber, getting Sleipnir Onstar ready for her class, while Gramps watches.

Gram and Gramps and I, and Amber, waited with Onstar, and her trainer, Travis Olinger, as Travis got Onstar all ready for her class.  She got her hair and nails done, and her tack and cart all shiny.  Her tack, her working outfit, has to fit just right. So she doesn’t get sore or uncomfortable, or get in an accident.

 

Onstar and I compared impressions of the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds.  Onstar can see and hear and sniff the air; and even though I cannot see, I can hear and smell the scents and odors.

 

We agreed that the Show grounds was really big, and it was a longggg way from home.  I could lay down in the back of Gram and Gramps truck;  but Onstar stood all the way. She got to have Travis’ trailer all to herself.  We talked about getting used to travelling long distances with our humans. My main human, my Mom Britta, takes me on really long drives, usually to visit family and friends.

 

Onstar really trusts Travis. She has learned MANY things with him…

 

Just look at her standing in a stall at The 2011 Morgan Grand National Horse Show. She learned to go in and out of stalls and to walk between the curtains. To stand still to get cleaned up and to get her nails done. There was a horse standing RIGHT behind her…she told me so, and I could sniff the other horse too.

 

Next, Onstar got led out to the bigger aisles where she was telling me about how she gets hooked up to a cart, and that she gets to pull Travis around in the cart. Onstar told me that her cart was new to her this season, but it had belonged to a famous Saddlebred and Hackney horse trainer named Pete Reeves.  He is a Hall of Fame Horse Show person.  His stable name is on the cart.  Travis and his uncle and grandfather are well known in the Hackney and Saddlebred world.  Onstar says that Gramps and Travis, and his Grandfather told her that it was a BIG HONOR to be pulling a cart that belonged to Mr. Reeves. 

 

I remembered when Gramps, Beth, Michael, Kaya and Tre went to Mr. & Mrs. Reeves’ Farm in Georgia to buy the cart.  Gram stayed home with me, but Beth sent pictures of the carts to Gram, so that she could help decide which one to buy.  When Onstar pulls Travis, and Gram, and Gramps around back in Tennessee, she uses an easy entry cart.  Gram really likes that, because she is short like me!

 

This time Travis was going to drive her in what we told her was the MAIN ARENA.  I had walked to that arena with Gram and Gramps.  It was far away for my short legs, but my “Grands” always take their time with me.  It wouldn’t take very long at all for Onstar.  Her legs are ALOT longer than mine.

 

Gram and I started up that way, and waited to watch at the waiting ring.  When there is one class going on in the Main Arena, the next class gets warmed up and ready for their class.  Onstar did really well getting ready.  Even though some of the other horses acted silly, she trusted Travis and behaved herself. Gram was very proud of both of us. I, of course, ALWAYS behave myself.  I cannot watch out for traffic, but Gram and Gramps watch out for me.  Lots of people and horses are in a real big hurry at the horse shows.  So it is difficult being blind and short.  My humans take good care of me.  The class before Onstar’s ended and those horses left the arena.

 

We headed up to the main arena for Onstar’s class.

 

Gram and Gramps watched the class, and commented to each other about how Onstar was listening to Travis, and how beautiful she looked.  It was a big thrill for the family that Onstar was representing them and looking so beautiful and being so well-trained.  She can go VERY FAST for Travis; but she stands perfectly still in the line-up of all the horses.

 

Sleipnir Onstar at the 2011 GN Morgan Horse Show, Travis Olinger, whip

Sleipnir Explorer has a new family, Part 2

Sleipnir Explorer and Savannah

At Majic Stables’ Christmas party, Sleipnir Explorer, our 2005 Bay Gelding, was presented to his new owner, Savannah Mitchell.

We are all so pleased that Explorer has a nice new family with Savannah and Julie; and a great place to stay at Majic Stables with Mary Shappee and Gert Shuckhart.

We will keep you posted on how Explorer is doing at his new home.

Sleipnir Explorer and Savannah

Sleipnir Explorer has a new family, Part 1

Gram and Gramps and I went to the Grand National Horse Show in Oklahoma in October.

I’m still not done telling you stories from there.

Amber, the oldest of my “kids” was showing Explorer at the Show. They had worked hard together, and spent alot of time away from the Farm, working with Sue & Chris Nerland.

Explorer stayed in Oklahoma with Mary Shappee and Gert Shuckhart of Majic Stables.

Explorer saying good-bye to San

Some of my fans at the Grand National Morgan Horse Show

A fan at the Performance Arena during Amber's and Explorer's classes

Gram and Gramps saw lots of old friends while they were at the G N.  We also made lots of new friends. Grownups and Children like to meet me, if I do say so myself.  This young lady came over to visit me. Gram gave her a copy of my book. 

Gram also gave books to lots of other little kids and some adults too.  We met ring stewards; show committee members; other exhibiters; trainers; vendors…all sorts of people, from all over the country.

There was a litttle girl who was tired after a longgggg trip to get to the G N.  She was crying, and her folks needed her to stop, so that they could go see the horses in their classes.  They didn’t want her to scare the horses, or disturb other people. Gram told her about me, and gave a copy of my book to her parents to read to her when she stopped crying.  I think that it worked.  I hope that she liked the story about my Adventures on the Farm.

We met Mary Wolverton.  She and Gram and Gramps spoke about taking me to schools for blind kids. She went to the University of Rochester, NY. Elizabeth, my primary photographer, went to Rochester Institute of Technology.  Small world.

Facebook is a computer program that I have heard about.  Elizabeth also updates my Facebook page and the other ones that we have for the Farm, Organic Greenhouse, Antique Shop, Elizabeth’s photography, the Blue Ridge Morgan Horse Association at home in Tennessee, and Britta’s not-for-profit, non-govenmental organization, MediciaXXI. Gram does most of the blogging.  Maybe Elizabeth will add a comment with links to the other Facebook pages that she monitors. We met a bunch of people who are Facebook-friends with Elizabeth.

Gramps hurt his foot at the show. Gram dropped him and I off several times, and then went to park the truck.  One time, Gramps saw a family friend, Suzy Lucine.  I got introduced.  Suzy took pictures of our horses long before I was born.  The family’s favorite photos of Rhinestone are by Suzy.  You can still see them on the sidebars of the SMHF website: www.SleipnirMorganHorseFarm.com

I’ll have Gram tell you more about some other people who we saw at the Show in future blog postings.

Gramps, Me, Erica Richard, AMHA Registrar, “Sassy” Valerie, Lucas, and “Von”

Gramps, Me, Erica Richard, AMHA Registrar, “Sassy” Valerie, Lucas, and “Von”

Here is more from our trip to OKC to the Morgan Horse Grand National Horse Show.

Lucas is 6 years old.  He barks at just about every dog he meets.  He doesn’t bark at Hamilton, who is an old friend of his. And Lucas didn’t bark at me either.

Valerie and Von are sisters, and they travel to Horse Shows all over the country. Valerie sells trophies made of glass, and jewelry, and all sorts of things made of glass.  Gram said I didn’t have to worry about my tail wagging though, because everything is up higher than me, and in cases. Her booth is called Sassy Stuff By Valerie. (Email: sassystuffbyval@hotmail.com).

Valerie and Von live in Kentucky, and Gram and Gramps live in Tennessee, so they are sort of neighbors.  I hope that we can visit with Lucas at another Horse Show.  Von gave me some of Lucas’ dog treats, and that made me happy too.

Valerie and Von bought copies of the book about my Adventures on the farm.  Since Britta, my human wasn’t there, Gram autographed my books for them.

Gramps shopped at the Morgan Horse Association booth while Gram autographed the books. And He and Gram talked to Erica, Valerie and Von.  I mostly rested and listened.  And Lucas and I talked about the horses and our people.

Here’s a picture of Gramps holding Lucas.

Gramps holding Lucas

Everyone in the family calls Gramps “Dr. Doolittle” because all the animals like to be with Gramps.  Especially the cats.  They surround him.  They jump in his lap, and purr, and tell him stories.  I keep asking Gramps to ask the cats to play with me, but they hardly ever will.  Not even for Gramps.

Junior Exhibitor: Grand National Fitting and Showmanship 14-17 Finals

Amber and Explorer pinned in this class

This class takes alot of work to get ready for…braiding Explorer’s mane and tail…and painting his nails (hooves). Also Explorer gets all sorts of special cleaning up so that he looks very handsome.  Thank goodness Amber doesn’t paint my nails!

Then Amber needs to be dressed just perfectly…and stay clean.

Then she has to know the procedure on how to show Explorer.

Explorer tells me that this class is to teach kids how to show a horse at a horse show, and all the important things to get the horse to look his or her best.

Gram tells me that Britta, my “human” and her sisters Elizabeth and Caitrin used to do this at lots of shows in New England when they were kids.  Sometimes they do groom me, but sometimes I go to a special place to get groomed.  Sometimes they put a ribbon in my hair.  I am not too thrilled with that.  Last Halloween I had an orange ribbon. Thank goodness Britta doesn’t put me in a costume!

This class takes awhile, so Gram and Gramps found me a different place to lay down and wait.

 

Me waiting for the class to end.

 

So, Amber and Explorer did well. They pinned in the Top Ten.  Guess they both stayed clean enough, and did what they are supposed to do.

Gram and Gramps, Sue and Chris cheered.  Some of our fans watched them online on the usefnetwork.com.  Everyone likes that alot. People everywhere can see the classes as they happen.  I wonder if anyone saw me.