A Year in Review: 2021

Like many others, we find that the end of the year is a good time to reflect on what's happened over the past 12 months and also set some goals for the year to come. Today, I'm taking a break to look back and see what 2021 brought for AKH.

We started the year excited about a few new additions to our breeding program. RGR Boondock Saint is our new Gypsy Vanner herd sire and pretty much my dream Gypsy. Two mares also arrived on the farm from Tolman Farms in Utah, solid additions to our Brabant herd.

The winter logging season was strong and the horses worked hard, moved a lot of logs, and brought many smiles to those who watched them at work.

Foaling season was a challenge this year. Our first foal, Thumper, arrived early and made a miraculous effort to overcome the odds and conquer some preemie hurdles. Sadly, despite his early successes we had to put him down later in the summer due to a pasture injury. Many foals arrived uneventfully and brought us a lot of joy as we watched them grow and develop. However we finished on a tough note as well with Thunder, a gorgeous blue roan, 100% Brabant stud colt, who also survived some early life complications only to be found dead in the field later in life. The ups and the downs are very much a part of farming but they sure can be hard on the heart at times. In the end, we had 12 foals weaned in 2021 and are thankful for those wins.

Throughout the summer, we stayed incredibly busy with breeding for 2022 foals, making hay, managing pastures/forage, and caring for the herd. In addition, we made some strides in improving our stallion collection and shipping process which has been a long-time goal. We're not quite where we want to be yet, but we are moving in the right direction.

Marketing our youngsters is always an adventure and we love having the chance to interact with their new owners. This year we retained 3 fillies and found homes for the other 9 foals. Our 2021 crop headed out to South Carolina, Connecticut, Ohio, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Hearing from their new owners about their excitement in owning their dream horse and building relationships with a youngster is one of the most rewarding parts of our job!

The fall brought another exciting addition to the herd, with the import of stud colt Kyro van de Fossa Eugenia. He's only a weanling at the moment but will mature into our future herd sire. We've spent time working with him on ground manners, attending trail challenges, and generally just socializing him with other horses and people in a variety of environments to help establish a solid foundation to build on as he grows.

Recently, things have been relatively slow on the farm. Dehan is finished with his summer tree trimming work but it's too wet for logging so we've been knocking out some farm projects. We also took a huge step in closing on our first farmland purchase at the very end of the year. To date, we've farmed primarily family land or leased fields. This addition of 100 acres of tillable land will allow us to invest in hay production in one location, both to feed our herd and hopefully to market extra hay to others, and maximize the use of our other locations for pasture. Taking out the required loan for such a large purchase is definitely a bit stressful, but we are confident that it's a solid investment and will pay off with benefits for our program moving forward.

As always, the year has included both wins and losses. We're thankful for where we are ending the year and optimistic about what 2022 has in store. Our hearts go out to those to whom 2021 has not been as kind, and we wish all the best for our friends and families in the year to come.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Well, all, we made it! Another Christmas is nearly here. The tree is up, presents are wrapped, plans are made with family, carols are playing and all is peace-on-earth and happy holidays. Right? Or, maybe not. I'll be honest, as things go I'm actually rather content with where we are finishing 2021 and thankful for the past blessings and future promise that the year to come holds. But if you're anything like me, even in this beautiful season we know that all is not as it should be. On top of the general physical and emotional stress of the past two crazy years we are brokenhearted over sickness, friends suffering trauma and losses, political bickering, broken relationships, and assorted other reminders that life can be really hard.

It seems to me that the sorrow of these hard realities is actually a good backdrop for seeing just how glorious the Christmas season is. Christmas is the story of One who came from utter joy and peace to step into our hurting, dark, and broken world. He brings the hope that we so desperately need to make it through the hard times, and is full of compassion for us, as one who has experienced our sorrows himself.

I've recently seen statistics on how our society has record-low levels of Biblical literacy. Basically, fewer and fewer people know even the storyline of the Bible. This makes me sad, as I've found that knowing this story brings so much more depth, understanding, and encouragement to the things I face on life's journey. Specifically for the Christmas story, there is SO much more to the story than a manger, a star, and some shepherds. There are promises, and prophecies, and family drama, and kingdoms that rise and fall and so much of the chaos that we see in our own lives all of which lead up to the ultimate gift of a baby born to restore justice and order. There are many beautiful truths wrapped up in it all and I've been pondering how to make these more real and accessible for others. I don't quite know the answer, but in the meantime if you want to hear a really, really good story about a love that wouldn't leave us to our own messes you know where to find us :)

Here at All the King's Horses, we plan to celebrate Christmas with a few family celebrations and hopefully some time to get out and spoil some ponies. We're grateful for the new friends we've made and the lessons we've learned in 2021 and look forward to improving our program and sharing more beautiful critters with the world in the year to come. Merry Christmas to all!

Farm Rhythms- Fall

I can't believe it's nearly the middle of November. It seems like even our slow seasons are crazy these days! Summer lingered longer than usual this year but we've had several frosty mornings, the trees are colorful if not bare and the days are getting shorter so I think we can officially call the change of seasons.

Fall is probably my favorite season. The foals are all on the ground and we get to enjoy working with them and watching them grow and develop. Weaning is a bit stressful but our horses generally handle it well and it's fun to have a little more independence in the mares and foals. As they work through this milestone, we then send foals off to their new homes. Those days are always bittersweet, as it's hard to say good-bye to our babies but it is so very rewarding to see the excitement when their new families come to meet them. For the foals who are staying here at All the King's Horses, I can begin work on some of their training. Last year we enjoyed doing monthly Mountain Trail Challenges at a local arena so I've begun getting the weanlings out and exposed to some of the obstacles and tasks they may encounter there.

Another benefit of life slowing down a bit is that fall is when we have the most time to actually enjoy riding our horses. Admittedly, it hasn't happened as much this year as I'd like but it's so much fun when we get to run out for a quick trail ride. This is also the season when we are most free to travel and most years we try to make a point to get away for a short time. This year, we ended up in Colorado for a wedding and had the chance to explore a bit and also meet a fantastic horse farmer who uses Brabants out near Boulder.

As fall moves closer and closer to winter we begin to prepare for that transition. Horses come in off pasture when the frost hits and are put in designated winter fields with water and access for hay. Dehan will transition from his summer work in residential tree trimming to the winter horse logging operation. It's more work, but we love giving our horses a job through the winter and his passion for the animals and the woods makes up for the investment.