First Birthday

Jynx had her first birthday on May 27th!  It seems the last year has gone by very quickly, and she has certainly grown a lot!  She had a quiet birthday and napped in the sun several times.  Emily set a big muck bucket on her back and her hind quarters after putting out her hay at breakfast, and Jynx just stood still, not minding the big thing on her, just curious about it.  She is a curious, calm young horse, and it is such fun to see her grow up!  She needs her mane trimmed and some brushing, but her winter coat is gone, and she is a very pretty light chestnut with a sun bleached mane.  Happy Birthday, Jynx!

Beautiful Sun and Syttende Mai

Over the weekend we had the prettiest sunny skies!  It was a bit hot on Friday and Saturday (in the high 80º's), but then some clouds scuttled around the blue sky and it was cooler Sunday.  We had a breeze which made it all quite nice!  The people all smell like sunscreen these days, and we'll be smelling like herbal fly spray pretty soon!  Here is a photo of Echo, Jynx and me, hanging out in the sunshine.  Jynx is taller than I am!  She will have her first birthday on May 27th!  

Jynx is half Swedish, so she didn't celebrate Syttende Mai (Norwegian Constitution Day), but Nils and Finn and I did, as we're all Norwegian Fjords!  We didn't walk in any parades, but some Fjords did in Ballard (Seattle).  Aren't they handsome and well behaved? 

Fish Bowl Farm in Print!

Extra, extra, read all about it!  Fish Bowl Farm's Emily is profiled in Hunter & Sporthorse magazine's May-June '08 issue!  The article is entitled "Essential Cross Country Jumps."  Emily was interviewed about cross country course design, with an emphasis on designing for schooling courses and lower level jumps for horses and riders learning about cross country jumping.  It's wonderful to see the article in a national magazine, and the info is really interesting and helpful, with great photos of jumps.  There is a condensed version of the article on the magazine's website.  (Scroll down a bit.)  If you are nearby and want to see it in person, give us a shout via email or phone and you can drop by to borrow a copy of the magazine.  It's so exciting!  A photo of one of our jumps at the farm is in the article -- with Allie and Hannah jumping it!  We're all excited!

Rain, hail, snow, wind; shedding; new horse friend!

Is it Spring yet?  Today we had rain and wind and a rainbow.  Saturday we had snow.  Monday we had snow in the morning and enough hail in the afternoon to cover the ground for a few minutes.  Hmmm.  I like the rainbows the best.  There were three today, which isn't surprising given the speed that the dark grey clouds came and went.  The sun was playing hide and seek in the clouds.  Click on the photo at the left and it will open enlarged and you'll be able to see the rainbow! (It's just to the left of the biggest trees.)  This photo shows part of our riding field.  If the sky was clear it would show Mount Rainier, too!

The horses are all still shedding.  It seems that the pony breeds have the wooliest coats.  Then the cross bred horses, then the sport horses that are purebreds.  I have the thickest, longest coat, with my half brother Nils in second place for that shaggy honor.  The thinnest coat of our horses belongs to Braeburn.  He is a New Zealand thoroughbred, and he appreciated his medium weight waterproof blanket this winter!

We have a new friend at the farm!  Her name is Raven, and she is very pretty!  She is black with a couple of short sox, and a big blaze.  She is one of the four horses owned by others and boarded at Fish Bowl.  I live across the driveway from her.  Maybe one day she'll share a fence line with me and we can talk to each other.  Welcome, Raven!

Hair Cut Accomplished!

Emily cut my mane!  It looks and feels much better.  It's officially called "roached" when all my mane hair is clipped off.  It will grow for a month or so, and when there is enough hair, she'll cut it with an arched shape like most Fjord's manes.  For now it just feels good to have all that hair gone!  I'll post photos of all of me soon so you can see the results, not just the process.  

Do you get a Spring hair cut?

Hosting, Shmosting, what's all this nonsense?!

The blog moved.  Then it didn't look good.  Then it wasn't fixable.  Then it was.  Oh!  To be the farm woman at the computer doing this technical stuff for me, a pasture munching Norwegian Fjord horse!  She's trying really hard, but she's having trouble.  I think we'll just start over.  Ok? Ok.  Here we are, easily linked from http://www.fishbowlfarm.com!

Thank you for understanding!

Love,

Biscuit

P.S.  Do you think I should cut my mane?  Should it be fancy and short and curved on top like a proper Fjord horse, or long and wild like a prehistoric horse?  I like it both ways, but what do you think?  Do comment and let me know, or email ewigley at mindspring dot com  Thanks!