Family Circle

Once a year my sister's family goes to Florida. Since our Welsh Pony breeding operation is a joint venture, we cover for one another when travel takes any of us away from our farms. June was my month to tend to the horses at Ivy Hill.

What one learns from working another person's farm is how different we are - and yet, our goals are so similar. "Get the horses fed." "Meet the needs of the animals." Horses are creatures of routine and the Ivy Hill creatures are no exception.

Each morning, I wake up well before dawn to care for my own critters before leaving for Ivy Hill but my sister's horses are used to being fed seriously early. Arriving at the farm by 7AM, the Ivy Hill herd is impatient. If you work around animals long enough, you learn to communicate (and hear them) without talking. Stamping their feet, ears back, necks snaking forward - they are annoyed. Horses are Noblemen and see we humans as their servants. "How dare she feed us so late," they seem to say. As quickly as I can, I feed, water and turn out and over the next two hours, the Lords and Ladies of Ivy Hill are content once again. Happily - as creatures of habit, horses are able to adapt and within two days they know my schedule and everything is bliss. Nonetheless, every day I am greeted with a "How about that grain" whinny and all eyes and ears focus on me as I set up the grain and pull down the hay.

What is bliss? Hanging out in a dry barn listening to the sound of six horses munching away on their breakfast.