Beautyberry, or Callicarpa Americana, is native to Florida. It is drought-resistant and easy to grow. In the fall and the spring it has gorgeous purple berries clustered around the stem. Everyone should have at least one of these in their yard. The leaves have mosquito repellent properties. You can crush a few leaves and rub them […]
Tag Archives: Florida outdoors
16
Oct
Oct
Everything is an adventure at the stables if you are just a little person. Especially if you have brought table scraps to feed the goats, and the pigs. Running around burning off all that excess energy is wonderful. I know some kids that will sleep well tonight!
02
Oct
Oct
As we pass into the Fall season, grateful that the Florida summer heat is giving way to cooler evenings and mornings, we want to say a few words of appreciation to those dedicated people that have helped our horses and other animals through the summer. The horses have appreciated their cool baths, being brushed […]
23
Oct
Oct
Lacey Jane Taylor is a therapy dog. She visits people in hospitals and nursing homes. She has a special I.D. tag with her picture on it that tells people what she does. She is composed, well mannered and attractive: a very together dog. For appropriate occasions, she will even wear a hat. Here she is with Clyde […]
Florida outdoor experiences, Uncategorized
Sun Rae, our little Palomino Tennessee Walker, is doing just fine…..
02
Aug
Aug
Before coming to us, Sun Rae was used to living in a stall in a barn, and working in an arena or a round pen. She competed, and did barrels and poles. Then she came to us and was suddenly expected to mingle with other horses and walk down trails in the woods. It scared her. She […]
10
Jul
Jul
When you’re too busy to do the things you love, you’re too busy…..so…after we finished pressure washing our horse trailer, we decided it was so nice and clean we’d take it for a drive to the beach. The beach is only about 15 minutes away from the stables, and you’d think we’d go there ALL […]
15
Oct
Oct
The rain we’ve been having lately is very, very needed. All the moisture, however, may cause horses to get skin conditions in the hot Florida weather, if you’re not vigilant. Our personal solution is inexpensive and it works as well as any of the other remedies we’ve tried over the decade and a half we’ve had horses here […]
06
Oct
Oct
I love our trails. They are different from week to week…month to month…season to season…..And they never get boring. One of the things that has always surprised me here in Florida is that you almost always see butterflies while riding the trails. Here are some of the ones I seen, whose picture I have taken… […]
05
Oct
Oct
When its time to give the horses their second feeding, Pickles the pig is always right there waiting for her share. All the horses are eating….no horses available….so what do you do when you want to ride? Wait…there’s Pickles…. Pickles has finished her food. Pickles? Yes, Pickles! …not super comfortable….. …..very fussy and noisy…. […]
When we first got Valentino, he was still a stallion, and one of the fun things about him was ability to stand on his hind legs in an beautiful controlled fashion. …Perfectly balanced, like a pro…..….Paso Fino horses are just the coolest…! ……..it was a really fun thing to do with him……… But now that […]
Relish, our little pet sow, likes Dairy Queen Malts. If she happens to catch you drinking one… …….She will make sure you share………….ALL of it!…… ……….every last drop………………..all gone…… …………YUM!….. …..How can you resist that face?…… I bet all pigs like Dairy Queen Malts….
Even though our trails are lovely, sometimes we just take a few horses and go check out other parts of Florida. We have a number of horses that think loading up and heading out is…well…. fun! For us and our horses, the grass IS definitely greener on the other side of the fence…we have very little grass, so our […]
We have Nigerian Dwarf goats and Barbados black belly sheep. After trying our numerous varieties for our Petting Zoo, we settled on these two breeds. Barbados Black Belly sheep are perfect for warm climates like ours here in Florida, because they have no wool. We do have to shear some of our animals sometimes, but I […]
24
Aug
Aug
It has not rained all that much this summer, and compared with last year the trails are really dry. Hurricane season is far from being over, though….it lasts through the end of November, and anything could happen here in Florida. That being said, never miss an opportunity….. …. after the rain is over and the […]
14
Aug
Aug
All of our horses like Spanish Moss. Normally when you are trail riding, don’t let your horse stop and eat. It is the horse’s way of gaining control over the ride….and they will want to do lots of stopping and grazing and very little walking…..if you start out letting them do this….rewarding them with a treat […]