A Horse Arrives!

In early January, Lavender Hill Farm became home to Chance, a 16 year old Thoroughbred.  He's solid bay and 17h tall.  We converted part of the girls' side of the barn into a stall for him and put up corral panels to give him a separate turn out area.  The alpacas have seen horses only a couple other times on the farm and Chance had never seen alpacas before.  We kept the alpacas close to the barn while letting Chance get accustomed to his new surroundings.  The boys came around to see him first, causing Chance to trot back and forth for a little while, as he was trying to figure out what all the alpacas were.  After a short while Chance settled down and became more comfortable being around the alpacas.  Now they are very used

 to each other and enjoy each others company.

 Chance had just arrived in this photo.  You can tell he's a little worried,

 but he settled in great!

He hasn't seen the alpacas yet..

The boys came to see what all the fuss was about and they followed Chance from left to

 right as he trotted back and forth in his paddock.  The alpacas couldn't take their eyes off him!

 

Chance stopped and got a better look at the alpacas.  He finally realized they're

 not a threat and calmed down.

 

This is Chance after a couple days on the farm.  He's much more relaxed and has his

 alpaca buddies in the background.

I took Chance for a walk out back and he grabbed

 a bite of what little grass he could find.

Chance is settled in and has a much more relaxed look on his face.  

 

He enjoys soaking up the sun!

 

 

Kimmy, the alpaca, is seen spying on Chance.  She's a very curious alpaca and just seconds after this photo was taken, she stood up on the bars of the corral panel as if to get a better look.

 

 

It was nice to see Ember, Peg, and Ambrosia cush (lay down) near Chance's paddock.  They're all very comfortable with each other already.

 

Buddy came by to say hi!  Buddy may be small, but he's

 not afraid and wants to be friends the alpacas and Chance.

Chance is getting a better look at Buddy.

 

It's great to see he's settled in so well and feels comfortable

 enough to lay down and take a nap.

 

I opened up Chance's paddock space so he could roam in the deep snow.  He loves the snow!

 

There was great weather this day with no wind and tons of sunshine, so I took off Chance's blanket so he could get some fresh air.  He loved just standing in the sun.

This is what a horses' snow angel looks like!  Chance enjoyed a nice roll in the snow!

I'm looking forward to nicer weather so I can start riding Chance again, but in the meantime it's great to be taking care of a horse on the farm!  He's a really friendly horse and very easy to work around.  He's a great addition to the farm and I'm sure many visitors will enjoy meeting him!

~Rose