Being connected to a farm.....

Offers not only  riding and wonderful animals, where the evening views of your pastures can be inspiring and comforting, but then there are the more complicated days like yesterday~

Students from Tandem offering help on their service day.

 It started out well enough with one of the local H School groups coming out on a service day. They raked and bagged leaves for the garden. We will use this as a start for our compost. The garden will be great next year. 

                                      Uva students as they were getting ready to work~

They were leaving just as the second service group arrived from UVa, and they cleaned out a part of the woods that we are going to expand into. As they we getting gloves on and heading down to the work area I noticed that my pony Teacup was laying down and while this is fine most of the time, it didn't seem right for her. She was colicing and I had to have Rebekah walk her while we waited for the vet to arrive. Lynley --the field rep for Augusta arrived to help Rebekah walk Teacup, while I went to Walton Middle School to pick up 2 of my pony club riders. 

When I returned, the vet was in a stall with Teacup and so I used it as a teaching opportunity, and had the students come in and watch how they were putting liquids, etc, into her stomach through a long tube. Just then, the volunteers from UVa come into the barn, and I asked if any of them were interested in the veterinary practice, and one was. He stood close and watch the work. Poor Teacup had a twitch on her little nose. Within in a few minutes the students were all up on ponies, and riding after having see a day of things that happen from time to time n a farm. A good ending as Teacup is fine and enjoying her day in the sunshine.

                      Rebekah and Teacup. Such a wonderful little pony who is in the pink again!