Chicken Scraps Blog

As of May 2nd, Fenella is now officially a yearling! She is a very pretty little horse with a great temperament.  Spirited, yet very friendly and easy to train, she will make a great horse someday.  Recently my brother has been doing a lot of shooting in the back pasture, and she has become quite desensitized to the sound of firearms- to the point that she either ignores his invasion of her pasture, or comes over to fellowship with him and observe his target practice.  This has been encouraging to me, since I have considered training her for mounted shooting, or at least laying the groundwork for someone else to do so.

I have found that riding horses in skirts can  be fun and comfortable, as well as modest and pretty.  However, finding skirts suitable for riding is not fun or easy, so I am now offering my favorite style riding skirt for sale on my shop. Check it out over at Chicken Scraps Shop, and email me or order direct through Etsy to get your own customized skirt! From my Etsy listing: This lovely tiered skirt is perfect for almost any occasion. It is very full, spreading out to a complete circle when laid flat, sturdy, yet comfortable. 100% cotton (unless otherwise requested). A waistband with 3/4" elastic fits comfortably and snugly, made to just your measurements, and you choose your own preferred length. Available in standard blue denim, and black denim/ bottomweight (2% spandex). Sizing below is as follows according to waist measurement: Size 2= 24" Size 4= 26" Size 6= 28" Size 8= 30" Size 10= 32" Size 12= 34" Size 14= 36...

Chip is a really great little POA gelding.  Actually, he's not so little- 13+ hh, which makes him the perfect size for both children and small adults. Visit our farm website for more info about Chip:   feldmanfamilyfarm.weebly.com Here is a video (taken 11/27/15) of me riding Chip, in the pasture at home, and on the trail to a friend's house.

Recently, Savana went out to the pasture with me to take some (much overdue) pictures of Fenella.  She is growing "like a weed", and progressing well on her training.  She is rather mouthy, and will sometimes nip, but I never let her get away with this, as I detest nippiness. She is so sweet and easy to train.  I am beginning to want to keep her for myself, as Fannie is getting older.  Maybe there is some way to grow more grass...

 Fenella de Festina Lente is a very special filly, with lots of spirit and character.  Her bloodlines include Capuchino and Plebeyo.  I was able to begin handling her within 20 minutes of birth, and have continued her training since then.  She is very friendly, and not skittish, though she is very alert to her surroundings.

My filly, Fenella de Festina Lente was born in early May.  She is the first foal I have ever been able to handle and train, so I wanted to be prepared.  As the time was drawing near when Fannie was due to foal, I began researching various training methods, trying to come up with a plan for training the foal right from birth.  I knew that I wanted to begin its education as early as possible and not wait until it had formed bad habits, or developed a fear of humans.  Very quickly I decided that I wanted to imprint it, if possible.  What I read about imprinting just made sense to me.  After all, it is reasonable that what an animal is exposed to on a regular basis from the moment of birth should seem normal to it in later life.  I did not want to be too extreme with my imprinting; rubbing the baby with noisy clippers and plastic bags just seemed like a little much, and I didn't want to stress Fannie too much.  So when Fenella was born, I simply rubb...

Jesse El Rubio Acuarela de Benji Saturday, May 2nd, was an unusually busy day for us on our small farm.  There was a lot of work to be caught up on outside; from dosing a sick cow who was off her feed, to fixing a small pen in the front pasture.  I let Fannie out into the yard as usual to graze, after she ate her usual portion of Gestolac feed, with a special herbal tea added to it.  As I checked her bag, I thought she couldn't possibly be far from delivering her foal.  After all, she was bred to Jesse el Rubio , son of El Chino de el Batey, on May 4th, 2014, and now it was May 2nd, 2015.  According to my research, horses have a gestation length of 316-360 days, so she was a bit over due.  Her udder had distended to nearly twice it's usual size now; surely she must be close. Photo taken 4/28/15

Fenella de Festina Lente was born Saturday, May 2nd, 2015.  My 16 year old sister, Savana, took these pictures for me on May 4th.  Fannie grazing peacefully in the yard, with Fenella sleeping under her watchful eye.

Announcing a new addition to Chicken Scraps Shop :  Easy Birth Tea Easy Birth Tea is a special blend of herbs to help with pregnancy, birth and recovery.  It is safe for use in humans, horses, goats, sheep and cattle.  (SOLD AS ANIMAL SUPPLEMENT ONLY.)

Spring is right around the corner, and so is Fannie's due date. (Sorry for the terrible  quality and angle of this photo...  It was taken with a phone and I couldn't see the picture on the screen.) Fannie (registered name:   Acuarela de Benji ) is bred to Jesse el Rubio , son of 7 time Bella Forma champion, El Chino de El Batey.

Have you ever heard of a stallion that calmly tolerates, even enjoys, being handled, groomed and ridden by 12 complete strangers, most of whom are children?