BORDER HOLIDAYS AND HORSES - Adams Anchor and New Cwm Farm

Newsletter - June 2007

A New Baby!

Misty produced a beautiful colt foal on 5 May. Richard and I checked her at 11pm on the Friday, and the foal was up and dry at 5am on the Saturday. It’s a good job 99% of mares can manage very nicely on their own!

The unnamed little chap is growing fast, and is very bold and confident. Misty is a wonderful mother, and we plan to introduce them to “the herd” when the foal is about four weeks old

5 days old

7 days old

13 days old

15 days old

BLUE REMEMBERED HILLS

New Cwm Farm is just 200 yards from the Shropshire Hills, with its Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Blue Remembered Hills. Rhos Fiddle Nature Reserve is only two miles distant, and at this time of year the rare and beautiful yellow mountain pansy flecks the grasslands with splashes of pale gold. The boggy areas are perfect feeding grounds for snipe, curlew, and lapwing. In order to preserve this traditional landscape, a local organic farmer grazes highland cattle and hebridean sheep there. A guided walk over Rhos Fiddle is planned for 9 June.

SHROPSHIRE HILLS SHUTTLES

The shuttle bus operates weekend and Bank Holiday Monday until 28 October, and is an excellent way of enjoying the views, and there is plenty to see and do, should you decide to stop off on the way. More information from www.shropshirehillsshuttles.co.uk.
Or telephone 01588 673888.

Download the June 2007 newsletter (pdf).

Newsletter Archive

Check out the March 2007 newsletter.

Spring!

An unsual Spring - a glorious April, followed by a wet May. "Wet May, full bay" (ie a good hay crop), and Spring proper seemed to come all of a rush.

We had a very successful lambing this year. One Welsh mule ewe produced four lambs (with Richard acting as midwife). All are doing well (see below)
The wildflowers such as the marsh marigolds (above) have been spectacular this year. There is also a carpet of bluebells outside the door to Sycamore cottage (below).

Hatched, Matched and Despatched

New foal born May 5^th – see lead story.

Star Dewi, one of our old retainers has been sold to a five star home not far away. No way would I have advertised him, I was certain I would keep him forever. But there was no-one to ride him and this lovely young lady came along and it was love at first sight for both of them.

Maguire has been sold to a lady who lives near Bishops Castle. She wanted a safe horse for her husband to ride.

Four Footed proFile

Dixie Dream

Dixie Dream is our senior mare and has had a long and interesting life. Richard bought her as a six year old at Newtown Horse Sales for 475 guineas. She was in the catalogue as “A Trotter”.

Richard and Dixie had a successful racing career over several years with the Wales & Border Counties Racing Association., and in between whiles, Dixie had produced nine foals, all of which have been broken in and sold on and we are still in touch with the owners of four of them. We bought back the first one, Dream Dancer, in 1999.

We brought Dixie back into work when she was 18, so that she could enjoy her last few years. I call her my 27 year old armchair as she is so totally safe, even I ride her. If she senses her rider is about to fall off, she will do a quick body swerve to get underneath him and pop him back into the saddle! That’s my kind of horse.

The rigours of her racing career have taken their toll, and gentle hacking is her job description these days, although she can still pick up her skirts and run, and is not above racing the others through the forestry if it takes her fancy.

It has been said that because Dixie is such a safe conveyance, she is boring. Now me, personally, I think boring is good. I can do boring.