Trick or treat ??

This past month I had the chance to watch trainer Chris Lombard in action, he obviously commands so much respect from the horses he works with that this mare surprised him by bowing to him at the beginning of the session , her trick, his treat!

Can you say Poitou ?

With all this cuteness it is hard to believe that this is a rare breed of donkey, but they are! The Poitou Donkey comes from France, it survives today because of the dedication of breeding programs in France and here in the USA at the Hamilton Rare Breeds Foundation. Maintaining healthy genetic diversity in rare breeds such as the poitou, so that they continue to be here in the future, is complex and costly work. The Hamilton Rare Breeds Foundation and others like them, gladly accept donations towards saving these and other rare breeds.

Photographer's notes

You might have seen this picture in a magazine recently, the article was about euthanasia. This woman and her horse bravely illustrated the bond and the sadness we all feel when the day comes that we have to make that decision. On the day this photo was taken this older horse was still in pretty good health but I asked Jen if she would help me create this photo, as she posed with her horse, just thinking about the subject brought her to a point of real sadness and the result was this image. That same day we created happy and loving images too and I'm glad that we did. A few years after this photo was taken Jen had to face that day with her beloved Cashel. Thanks Jen, for showing us that emotional moment that all of us as horse owners will someday have to confront.

June is the Month for Photos!

Welcome June ! It is without question one of the best months of the year for photos. The horses are shiny in their beautiful summer coats, the temperatures are perfect, pastures are lush, foals are cavorting with their mums and best of all, no bugs! So if you are thinking about having pictures taken this is the month to do it! Celebrating June, our postcard of the month horses are a lovely mare and foal. Can you name the breed? No, they are not color breeds! Although they could be double registered. A Hint? Think trail riding! Send your guesses to info@dustyperin.com

Cast your vote !

This photo got everyone talking last year when it appeared on a magazine cover. There was so much buzz in fact, I was not allowed to enter it in an annual photo contest!
This month we are having our own photo contest and you are the voters!

Like it? Vote- thumbs_up@dustyperin.com

Don't like it ? Vote- thumbs_down@dustyperin.com

Direct links are on the postcard page of the website
Votes will be tallied and posted at the end of June

This postcard horse is Flag, one of my oldest and dearest Arabians. At age 23 he has had a lot of practice at modeling, and although this photo was considered to be controversial because he is shown with rhododendrons, he was not in any danger. Flag is not really sniffing the flowers either, he could care less about them, what he is really up to is reaching for another handful of grain from the person hidden just off camera.

Opening Day

The phrase “Opening Day” may mean baseball to a lot of sports fans but here on our little farm in Maine it is the day I open the gate to the front paddock for the very first time. The date varies from year to year, typically the grass must be high enough to survive grazing and the ground has to be dry enough to survive the galloping, as four horses cavort in delight with what can only be described as grass intoxication. Their grazing time is limited on Opening Day and they know it, this photo shows our little alpha mare trying to consume as much as she can in a single mouthful!

Life's a Beach

Yeah life’s a beach…..Crane beach that is, Ipswich Massachusetts, where two event riders let their horses out for a gallop in the incoming tide.

A Mr. Ed Wannabee

The Mr. March horse is a registered Paint with the nickname of Keeper. He likes to lip-sync whenever he gets the chance. Keeper's owner has taught him to perform this trick on cue, rumor has it this horse works for cookies.

Fuzzy Mr. February

Meet the February horse, if you are not familiar with the breed, this fuzzy fellow is a Bashkir Curly. For those of you that suffer allergies to horse hair this is the breed for you! The hair on the Curly can be mildly wavy to tight little ringlets, this guy even has curly eyelashes! Where do they come from? No one knows for sure, the first Curly horses were discovered running wild in Nevada, and it is from this small gene pool that today’s registered Curlies’ have descended along with out crossing to a variety of other breeds.

An Idle Threat?

An idle threat? It’s tough to tell, treats are a rarity here reserved for special occasions, but then what could be more special than posing for a picture? Yeah, don’t worry, he got the apple!