St. Mary's River Farm: The Critters

The critters, so far, consist of:

Lana - Our resident watchdog (will watch anybody rob us blind so long as they give her a belly rub, HAH!). Lana is a fun loving furry maniac! Her favorite things are her kids, Harrison and Tova, people, attention, swimming, fetch, eating, and chasing chickens (although this one gets her barked at, LOL). She can often be found begging for snuggles/belly rubs and browsing the manure pile for tasty snacks!

The Hens - These ladies keep us supplied with enough eggs for our family and extra for sale ($3/dozen), they are free range hens so they live a life free of cages! Tova, our daughter, is the resident "chicken whisperer" and makes sure they're all hand tame and friendly :)

The Pigs - Peppa and George keep themselves busy eating and growing us some tasty tasty bacon :D These guys are also free range and go in and out as they please :)

The horses:

Jake - He is one of our rescue horses, a bay 20-something Thoroughbred gelding owned by my father. He came from deplorable conditions, he was very skinny (just short of being emaciated), beaten, covered in open wounds/sores, and had untreated abscesses in 3 out of 4 hooves. He was a not-so-trusty riding horse for a number of years, but these days he is enjoying his cushy retirement :). He is a grumpy old man with a heart of gold, he'll do anything you ask but doesn't much like to be fussed over. He enjoys treats, getting groomed (a business-like grooming, no hugs or kisses for this guy! LOL), rolling in the mud, and keeping the young whipper-snappers in line ;)

Ria - Ria is a 12 year old grey Thoroughbred mare. She is a bit of a klutz! LOL When she's not sucking up for snuggles, she can most often be found either tripping over her own feet or napping. Her favorite things are children, dogs, and attention! She's a real "in your pocket" type of horse with personality to spare!

Jenny - Jen is another one of our rescue horses, she is a 17 year old silver dapple Belgian/Percheron cross and came from a man with a heart of gold but not enough knowledge to properly care for a horse. When we took her home she was skinny, had only ever been turned out with cows (she had no idea how to speak "horse" when we brought her home), her feet were a mess and her mane and tail were matted after years of never being brushed. She was halter broke, but that's about it. Although she is a draft horse, she made it very clear that she will NEVER pull anything (well, she'll drag a log, through the arena fence, through the pasture fence, and through the barn door.....her show name is "The Wrecking Ball" and she definitely earned it! LOL). Despite her rough start in life and her opposition to doing draft-horse things, she has become a fantastic riding horse. Anyone can just get up on her and go. On the trail is where she really shines, she'll go over, through, around, or under anything you ask and, despite her large size, she is extremely nimble and sure-footed!

Pony - Yes, the pony's name is Pony. Pony is a 12 year old buckskin Welsh Pony/Quarter Horse cross who belongs to our daughter. Pony is a hunter/jumper pony, and man can she jump! This pony is everything a pony should be: Friendly, reliable, steady, fun, peppy, smart, and mischievous! Her favorite things are children, attention, and food! Pony has a bit of a weight problem (I swear, she could get fat eating rocks!) and really resents her reduced grain ration, so she can often be found stealing Ria's grain, eating, destroying her blankets and looking for more food! She is our resident escape artist and has been known to crawl under the bottom strand of the electric fence.