SOLD!! 
This blog is a place for me to share pictures, tell stories and write about our family, our farm in Dover, Arkansas, our Faith in Jesus Christ , and our love for nature, animals and people. I hope it often makes you laugh, sometimes causes you to think, and sincerely gives you insight into who we are as we travel this amazing journey.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Redneck Swap
We traded this horse............
For this goat............
Pretty funny, huh? Well, as much as we loved the horse, "Te", we really didn't have a use for her. We had planned to breed her and then keep her once we realized she was broke to ride.
See her story here....
http://harmonpfarms.blogspot.com/2007/12/te-totally-mine.html
However, we have changed our minds about both. ( Although I would LOVE to keep ALL the horses, Ted rightly says we have too many and must downsize) We have had Te advertised for $500 for several months. She is a WONDERFUL mare, but the horse market is in the toilet right now and we haven't been able to sell her.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the barn is a paddock full of female goats....with breeding season upon us. Our options were to buy a buck or borrow one. We started asking around and found out that Kevin Little, the co-leader of the 4-H Meat Goat Club had a buck for sale. The buck was, however, out of our price range at $650. Kevin raises and shows Boer meat goats and has some well known bloodlines. This buck has already been shown and has won some blue ribbons. So I said, "How about a trade?"
Little did I know that Kevin was actually actively looking for a first horse for his 14 year old daughter. I suggested they take Te for a trial and see what they thought. Well, 2 weeks later, we had our buck. Kevin's daughter, Lena, has fallen in love with Te and is riding her all over the mountains by herself. The whole family loves Te and will give her a great home and we ending up with a buck of much better quality then we would have ever had otherwise! ( The picture above is the buck as a weanling. He will get much bigger and meatier!)
The funny thing is, I had sold Te's daughter to another local family who ended up selling her to Kevin Little. So now Te and her daughter are reunited!
It's a funny small town life..........:)
For this goat............Pretty funny, huh? Well, as much as we loved the horse, "Te", we really didn't have a use for her. We had planned to breed her and then keep her once we realized she was broke to ride.
See her story here....
http://harmonpfarms.blogspot.com/2007/12/te-totally-mine.html
However, we have changed our minds about both. ( Although I would LOVE to keep ALL the horses, Ted rightly says we have too many and must downsize) We have had Te advertised for $500 for several months. She is a WONDERFUL mare, but the horse market is in the toilet right now and we haven't been able to sell her.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the barn is a paddock full of female goats....with breeding season upon us. Our options were to buy a buck or borrow one. We started asking around and found out that Kevin Little, the co-leader of the 4-H Meat Goat Club had a buck for sale. The buck was, however, out of our price range at $650. Kevin raises and shows Boer meat goats and has some well known bloodlines. This buck has already been shown and has won some blue ribbons. So I said, "How about a trade?"
Little did I know that Kevin was actually actively looking for a first horse for his 14 year old daughter. I suggested they take Te for a trial and see what they thought. Well, 2 weeks later, we had our buck. Kevin's daughter, Lena, has fallen in love with Te and is riding her all over the mountains by herself. The whole family loves Te and will give her a great home and we ending up with a buck of much better quality then we would have ever had otherwise! ( The picture above is the buck as a weanling. He will get much bigger and meatier!)
The funny thing is, I had sold Te's daughter to another local family who ended up selling her to Kevin Little. So now Te and her daughter are reunited!
It's a funny small town life..........:)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
2008 Pope County Fair
2008 POPE COUNTY FAIR
SEPT 9-13
HORSE SHOW
Sunday, Sept 7th
The Fair, this year, started with the horse show which took place the Sunday before, on Sept 7th. ClaireAnna entered just about every class. Kate didn't ride ( back issues) but showed Missy at Halter.
Taking a drink and waiting for the next class.
The judge, explaining to ClaireAnna what to do during the trail class. 
ClaireAnna and Caroline Beech put together a "Hay" barn with examples of good barn and horse practices and a "Neigh" barn with junk all around, dirty stalls and danger lurking everywhere! ClaireAnna used her own little toy barns and horses.
EDUCATIONAL BOOTH
Our Wrangler's Club puts together a booth each year for the Educational Building. This year our booth was called "Hays and Neighs". The "Hays" are good horse safety practices and the "Neighs" are what NOT to do around the barn. We all got together and took before and after pictures of the kids with the horses doing "Hays" and "Neighs" around our farm. It was a lot of fun.
Here's Claire's donkey Jack, tied improperly to a fence. A big "Neigh!"
And Here is ClaireAnna with Jack tied correctly with a quick release safety knot. "Hay!"
Aren't they cute?!
Kate and Bailee Miller spent Monday morning putting up the booth. 
Stupid me, I forgot to take a picture of the finished booth! We were really disappointed that the judges only gave us a second place on this booth. We thought it was really cool!
RABBIT SHOW
Tuesday, Sept 9th
Kate won 1st place senior buck, 1st place junior buck and 1st place junior doe as well as Best Opposite Sex to Breed! ( Kind of like "Reserve Champion") The senior doe beat her for Best of Breed.
The girls putting up their Lionhead Rabbits.
Kate won 1st place senior buck, 1st place senior doe, 1st place junior doe. There were no junior bucks and Kate is shown here wondering which of her rabbits will get Best of Breed and Best Opposite of Sex to Breed. Gryffin's Door Hagrid takes the honors. Below are the girls in the rabbit barn with some 4-H buddies and their ribbons.
POULTRY SHOW
Wednesday, Sept 10th
One of the other 4-H kids had too many birds in one class and asked Claire to help show one of her chickens. It's a Polish. Claire had so much fun, now she says she wants a Polish chicken for next years fair.
Hmmmmmm......I wonder what Daddy will say about that???
( I was being sarcastic. For those of you who don't know, Daddy gets her anything she wants!)
It's really funny how chickens are shown. You grab them by their back feet and hang them upside down until they relax. Then you can just lay them on the table and they practically play dead and just lay there. The judge comes by and examines each one.
The ducks were judged at their cages because some of them are so flighty that it is best not to take them out. This is ClaireAnna watching the judge with her pair of Blue Ancona Ducks, "Henry" and "Beauty", which were chosen 1st place duck pair as well as Grand Champion "Other Fowl" She's won the "other fowl" category three years in a row now! Yeah ClaireAnna! She also won 1st place duck hen with a lovely black Ancona hen. 
ClaireAnna and mom taking the Grand Champion pair up to the table for the Best In Show class.
Here, the judge is explaining to ClaireAnna that her ducks came very close to winning Best In Show except that her hen had a little bit of uneven coloring. Claire was very excited to have "almost" won! She has never won Best In Show but she hopes to some day! 
ClaireAnna telling "Beauty", "Great Job!"
GOAT SHOW
Thursday, Sept. 11th
Our market goats did poorly, as we knew they would. They are half dairy goat and not meaty enough. We just bought a nice Boer buck to breed to our does for next years batch of kids. We should get some nice market class prospects out of him.
(Actually, we traded a horse for the buck, but that is a long story! )
Our goats in their pens in the livestock barn.
4-H OLYMPICS
Thursday, Sept 11
There is an obstacle course every year called the "4-H Olympics". It is fun and goofy and the kids love it. Claire and Clay Metz were partners.
THE DANCE
Friday, Sept 12th
On Friday, the kids have a dance from about 9 to midnight. The older kids stay the night at the fairgrounds with some brave parents for chaperons. Claire and I went home but Kate stayed.
Here's ClaireAnna dancing her heart out.
Getting set up for the "recall".
Saturday, Sept 13th.
This is ClaireAnna's third year showing Lucky and they are really becoming a great pair on the obedience course.
Rally obedience course.
Rally obedience course.
1 minute long sit.
FREINDS AND FUN
That's what the fair is all about and both are in abuncance all week.
Three "fair rats" climbing on the cattle stocks while waiting for the goat show to start.
Clay Metz, ClaireAnna and Dayna Walker. Fast Fair Friends.
( I think I will have to start keeping a better eye on Clay as the years progress!)
Saturday evening is usually the Awards Ceremony and afterwards, a big pot luck dinner. So, after the dog show, I went home and made a triple batch of crabmeat salad and took a quick nap. Just as I was getting ready to head back, Pope county went under a tornado warning with the remnants of hurricane Ike passing through the state. The awards ceremony and potluck were canceled! I had to eat crabmeat salad for a week! ClaireAnna and DaynaTHE DOG SHOWKate with her market goat, "Leah". ClaireAnna showing "Brook" in the market goat class. Getting the goats cleaned up for the show. Hey, it's a lot easier then bathing a cow!Kate showing her Californians.Trail Class. Here she has taken the blue slicker off the pole and has to carry it with her the rest of the ride. ClaireAnna won several 1st and 2nd places in the pleasure division as well as Peewee High Point Pleasure. She entered the speed classes and had a lot of fun, but didn't win any since she doesn't yet lope.
Here are the girls in the breed class with our 6 month old 1/2 Kiko does. They did well, winning 4th and 5th out of a class of 12.
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