Most people who visit the farm have the impression that Moonbeam is a big horse.
He looks big, I think, because he is surrounded by his pint-sized family.
His height is actually on the shorter end of the spectrum for a horse.
He stands at just 15 hands (60 inches) at the withers.
He may be shorter than many, but his breed is notoriously muscular and strong.
His stockiness also makes him look bigger than he is.
(Just as a frame of reference,
draft horses such as Clydesdales can be 18 hands and more.)
Red and Ollie (our miniature horses) are tiny versions of full sized horses
and stand just 34 inches tall at the withers.
They barely reach my hip when I stand next to them.
As small as they are though... they have personalities that are huge!
I can't tell you how many times I have told each of them,
that if they were full-sized horses,
they would have ended up in the glue factory.
[gasp] (Just kidding.)
They can be a handful, but because of their diminutive size,
dealing with them is quite easy.
Often, when walking the two of them back and forth to the upper pastures,
Ollie spends the walk lifting his hind legs in a feeble attempt to kick Red
who is trailing along behind him.
Often times, as we walk, I keep my hand on his rump to prevent lift-off.
(For those of you who have gone on one of those horseback trail rides
on vacation... Ollie would be the horse who is assigned to the last position
in the line!)
I love my tight-knit, little equine family.
They've all been together for so many years
and my hope is that they can all live out their lives together.
Moonbeam is 18 years old.
Donnie Brasco (pony) is 18, His sister, Scarlet is 10.
Red and Ollie are both 10 years old.
Daphne and Chloe (donkeys) are 8 years old.
Considering that the smaller horses can live 30 to 40 years
and mini-donkeys can live up to 50 years,
I'm going to need to stay healthy for a very long time!!
Of course, when I get really old and have a hard time getting to the barn,
I could just move the little horses and donkeys into the house with me.
[gasp] (kidding!)
Have a wonderful weekend!
Hubbs is playing in a golf tournament all weekend,
so I will be spending mine watching Tyler play soccer,
attending an Enchanted Fairy Festival with our Littles,
and entertaining some special farm guests the rest of the time.
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