Blue Fountain Farm Newsletter and Art

I'm trying something new -  getting our newsletter out via my blog.  If you click here it should take you to the download for the newsletter - be warned it takes a little while to download - be patient!  If you want to come back to the blog, hit the back arrow, it doesn't open up a new page.  If you can't get it with this method, you can send an email to me, and I'll send it as an attachment back to you. 

I'd like to share with you some of the new works of my friend, artist Leslie Ann Webb.   She takes her inspiration for her paintings from photos, and she has used some of my images over time. 

The one below is of her paint gelding, "Charlie", and the painting is called "Charlie Blue Eyes"..........

   

The original image was this.........

Leslie Ann says of him, "For those of you who know him, Charlie is one of the most amazing horses I've ever had the pleasure of knowing......a true spirit and healer in his own right....enjoy.

The original and prints are available by calling me - 530 272-3878

 

The next two are of Oscar, her big PMU gelding, who she rides often here at BFF.  The first one is called "Spring Rennaissance"............

 

 

this original image for this one is...........

Leslie Ann says, "When the green leaves pop, signaling the birth of another Spring, I feel inspired to capture the essence of the rebirth, the color of the leaves, lime green, yellow, rich and sparkling with the reflection of the sun. Oscar, of course, running with such youthful enthusiasm, captures the essence of the resurgence, the renaissance of Spring."

And Oscar again in "Into the Wind"...........

and the original..........

Another one of Leslie Ann's new works has a very special story to it.  The painting below is called "Sunday Stroll"........

and here's the story, " This painting was done from a photo by Lynn Hummer, who runs the non-profit PMU Mare Rescue. Lynn was kind enough to give me permission to paint these adorable horses, plus the story about them and their amazing relationship.

This mare, having her own foal by her side, gave life, milk and love to three other orphaned foals in need. She became "mom" to all 4 foals and those who witnessed this miracle were forever changed........"

 

To see more of Leslie Ann's work, check out her web site at http://www.lawebb.com/ . 

Thanks, from the two Leslie/Lesleys!!

How to eat a thistle...........

It started out with stormy days in April, and the horses being "stuck" in their stalls for a few days - no turn out in their pastures.  Below is Calvin (owned by Pat Holtan), the day he got to be turned out again - as you can see, he's already had his obligatory "I've been way too clean for way too long" roll -

of course he couldn't roll in the grass, he had to find the muddiest spot possible.

OK, so why a horse would want to do this, when they have plenty of fresh, spring grass, as well as good quality hay is beside me, but here goes.........

first open wide -

then curl your lips out of the way -

then bite!

And that's all there is to it!

Spring Day

It seems that others, besides me, have been getting out with their cameras on a beautiful spring day, so I thought I'd share some of their photos, as well as a few of mine. 

Andie McKim sent some great photos of a pair of Canada geese on her pond - with their 4 new babies........way too cute!  She reports, "they were hatched on May 1st, and two days later they marched off to see the world, and were gone for five days.  But they're back.  Little legs are like 1/2" long, but they sure get around"........

She also sent a photo of the nest, and eggs, of a Kildeer pair....... right on the driveway gravel!

From Linda Bickel comes a photo of three of her four Haflingers taking a snooze in the warm sunshine....

I guess it's a case of "Monkey See Monkey Do", but they sure look comfy.

I walked around the property here at the ranch this morning and this afternoon, and took a few shots of the flowers............

                                 a pink rock rose -

a white rock rose -

a Cecil Bruner rose bud -

and the blossoms of the Horse Chestnut tree -

I was excited to see some very baby bunches of grapes on my new plants.

The grasses near the pond attracted me -

and, of course, you know we can't leave without a photo of Louie - playing with his toy by the pond -

Ahhhhh, spring! 

Thanks, ladies for sending your photos my way!

Behind the scenes.........

The people who keep things going around Blue Fountain Farm

As they say - "It takes a village", and that's what it's like around here at the ranch.  I sometimes wonder if people really realize what it takes to keep a boarding, lesson, training stable with 40 (plus or minus) horses running as smoothly as possible.  The horses need feeding and the stalls need cleaning, the arenas and pastures need to be dragged, the water troughs cleaned, the fences mended, and the aisles raked.  The equipment - tractor, mower, Bobcat (utility vehicle), as well as smaller machines, all need maintenance and repair (constant repair!).  The landscaping needs tending, the weeds need whacking ( more like a jungle this year - help!), the irrigation needs repairing, the tack rooms need sweeping, the bathroom needs cleaning and re-stocking, and the med cabinet needs replenishing.  The hay and grain need to be ordered, the tack needs to be cleaned, the horses groomed, bathed, trimmed, shod, vetted..............I'll stop there.

 

And, on top of that, all these things have to happen no matter the weather - snow, mud, wind, heat, dust, flies, whatever - the horses need our tending, and they are just as good at breaking something on a miserable, rainy day as on a beautiful, spring day.  Horses don't take days off, or vacations- for some reason they want to be feed and taken care of every single day - so that means we don't get days off like normal people do.  The horses, the people,  and the facilities need care daily, weekly, monthly - in other words - always.

Obviously, I can't do this all by myself.  My job is to over-see all the above, but my main job is the training of the horses, and the lessons for the humans.  So, what I'm really getting at here is that I want to thank all those people who have, and do make a special place like BFF able to keep going for the last 17+ years.  My current helpers are the best, and I want to acknowledge them and all the work they do behind the scenes.  So, to my sister Becca and her husband John..........

and Elaine........

and Sue..........

and Tim.........

and Bob.........

and Eric

and all of those of you who have taken time to help at "Work Parties", or have just given your time to help out in whatever way is needed........

THANKS!! 

      

Pira's Ranch Picnic

So, last month's "Field Trip" for Blue Fountain Farm was our fabulous wine tasting event next door at Naggiar Vineyards and Winery (see earlier post), and yesterday we all went across the street as guests of Pira's Cows and Horses for another entertaining, and educational day.  Ricky and Anna Nicolazzi were kind enough to host our group of 30+ people for a picnic and tour of the beautiful facilities.......... and Ricky gave an outstanding demonstration (more like a clinic!) of  his winning reining techniques to us mostly dressage-minded individuals on a high money- earning, chestnut gelding that he has in training.

    

Ricky explaining some basics to the group.

Railbirds front side............

........and back side.

Explaining scoring

And getting to work showing us the large circle........

....the spins........

and the stops!

It was great to hear Ricky, who kept talking as he was riding,  supporting so  much of what we have all been learning in dressage - concepts of inside and outside reins, moving the horse's shoulders and haunches, keeping their attention focused on the job at hand, keeping straight lines and straight bodies, softening to the inside........I could go on and on.  Basically, good riding and training crosses the borders of the different disciplines of riding - there might just be a difference in equipment, or soft rein vs loose rein, but it's all quite similar.

After seeing what a finished reiner could do, Ricky brought out a 2 yr old gelding, and showed us how all the techinques we had just viewed came to being.

 

A little lunging to get started.

Now, there were some who thought the arena had other purposes besides riding..........

Aurora wondering, "Isn't this a big sand box???"

.....or that a mini - John Deere was more fun to ride than a horse.......

Christopher Newell, Aurora and "Johnny" zooming away.

......or scheming to steal "Johnny" to their home........

Andie and Paul with their new best friend.

Another highlight of the day (besides the riding, the food and the great company) was touring the Pira's property on my new Bobcat, or the Polaris.  We got to see the ponds....

.....the buffalo (used for cow horse work)....

and got to act like kids on a Safari tour......

It was another stunningly gorgeous day with good food, good friends, lots of horses and a new twist on our horse education - thanks to the Santucci and Nicolazzi families!

If only I could have started..............

Aurora

........when I was this age!  Aurora comes to Blue Fountain from across the street to take her riding lessons on "Chelsea" - a saint of a Haflinger mare.  Aurora just had her 3rd birthday recently, but she started taking her lessons when she was 2 1/2 yrs old!  Not only did she start at a very young age, she basically spoke only Italian when she started.  It's amazing what a young brain can absorb - especially a smart, observant one - like Aurora's.  She is like a little sponge - in the beginning she learned her riding through visual cues and hands on, but now she is able to converse, understand and follow through - all in English.     

Aurora leading Chelsea to the arena for her lesson time

Making a turn in the arena

Naw, we're not having any fun..........

Squint face.......

Aurora's parents train at and run a new, and very successful reining facility - Pira's Cows and Horses - just across the street from us, owned by the Santucci family from Italy.  She is riding English in her lessons - she seems to be fascinated by the thought of some day jumping - but she is also Papa's little girl, and may take up reining  as well.  Either way, she will be a competitive force to be dealt with.   

Chelsea is so patient while Aurora works at putting the reins over her head.

Aurora's youth and exuberance are a joy to watch - and truly envied by all the women who wish that they, too, could have started their love affair and involvement with horses at her age.  It doesn't really matter, though, in the long run, at what age we were able to start ..........as long as we're experiencing as much joy and fun as Aurora does. 

 

"Cutting" a horse at Pira's Ranch 

Just being cute.........

So, whether you started riding at a young age like Aurora, or are starting at a much later stage in your life - enjoy, live, smile and let the little girl (or boy) in you come out.