7/12/2013-11/19/2025 Today we said a hard goodbye to Turbo. He joined the family as a little puppy and lived his whole life on our farm where he chased the horses and barked at the neighbors. Turbo served as a 4-H project for both Quinn and Amanda. He was a part-time therapy dog to Anna. Now he rests near Mack in the yard. They never live long enough.
Quinn likes TurboQuinn showing TurboQuinn showing TurboAmanda carrying around a chicken while Turbo stands guard. The swimsuit made it easier to take breaks in the sprinkler.Mack walking Alex. Amanda walking Turbo.Turbo decided it was ok to playTurbo likes his new bed
In the last few months Turbo showed signs of heart failure and cancer, in addition to his ever more arthritic shoulder. The last few weeks he declined quickly and we had to make the right choice. He has had a long life with us, camping out, playing, and being the best emotional support to all of us. We love you, buddy!
With only 3 horses in the barn, we have been considering an addition or two, but weren’t looking seriously. About a week and a half ago, we found out distance riding friend Diana Murphy was considering selling her Arabian gelding, Milo. It turns out, Milo is from Dinkelmann Arabians in GA. Anna and I went to visit Marcia and Christo at their farm back in December of 2021 before we bought Fiona. We were very impressed with their pedigrees and breeding objectives. It didn’t take long for us to decide Milo was coming to CT.
Sands Marabon (Milo)
Milo’s registered name is Sands Marabon and he is an 8yo race-bred purebred Arabian. He has half siblings throughout the country who are also endurance horses. He has already spent this season doing Limited Distance Endurance and competitive trail competitions and will be ready to continue competing next year. After a quick trip to Diana’s farm in PA, Milo is out in the pasture eating some hay and eyeballing the rest of the herd across the fenceline.
This afternoon we were a host herd for linear appraisal (LA). If you aren’t familiar with the LA program from ADGA, you can read about it here. This was our second time to do LA and we had one other herd trailer to our farm to participate. Here are the results:
Goat
DOB
Score
CH(pending) Majenli LK Carolina
2/20/2021
EEEV90
Sawfish QS Ferrari
3/16/2023
EEVV89
Sawfish AS Porsche
2/18/2023
VEVV88
Lucky 4-Leaf E Red Hot Chili
3/12/2022
VVVV87
We are absolutely thrilled with our results and extremely excited about Carolina hitting 90 and Ferrari’s score as a first freshening 2 year old. This program is a great asset to helping with breeding plans and affirmation that our breeding program is doing what we want.
We finally went to New Jersey for a distance riding competition. This is our 11th season doing AERC and ECTRA competitions and we had never competed in New Jersey. So Friday, I (Rob), Alex, and Amanda skipped work and school and loaded up Fiona, Mojo, and JJ for the 5 hour drive south. We arrived in camp just after 1 and had everything set up in about an hour. It was sandy!
The afternoon consisted of letting the horses eat and recover from the trip, hanging out with friends around camp, and vetting in. Mojo had been pulled from the 50 at Pine Tree so we elected to enter the 30. It was also my first competition since Aug 2023. The ride meeting was at 6:30 and the kids were in tents by 7:30. I stayed up hanging out with friends and talking, but was also in bed by 8:30.
Since Fall is here, the ride started at 7 for the 50s and 7:30 for the 30s. It was a crisp 50F at the start and we all wore a long sleeves for the first 18 mile loop. Did I mention it was sandy? Like New England beaches have less sand than the forest roads and trails in New Jersey. It reminded me of riding in South Carolina.
The temps steadily warmed on the first loop and we all shed our outer layer before arriving at the hold; we did the 18 miles at a solid 6.5 mph. The 45 minute hold was uneventful – the horses vetted fine and we had a quick break. We headed back out for the second loop of 12 miles and had an extra rider with our group. A new rider was there with a friend and the friend’s horse got pulled. We had all been back and forth during the first loop and so pacing wasn’t expected to be a problem. Our group of 4 headed back out for more sandy trails.
The second loop was really unremarkable, which is usually a good thing in distance riding. All the horses were eating and drinking. We didn’t have any big tack issues. The temperature was in the 70s but not humid. So all-in-all, the 12 miles clicked by pretty fast and we were back at the finish in under 2 hours. All Fiona, Mojo, and JJ all made pulse quickly and we were surprised to find ourselves in a 3 way tie for 7th place! Even better, the 30 miles brought Mojo to his 1,000 mile mark for AERC!
We gave the horses (and people) a break and then loaded up to drive home and pulled in about 9:30 pm. Overall, the ride was very well organized, trail markings were clear and easy to follow, there was plenty of water for the horses, and we really didn’t have any problems. While I don’t love the sand, it is nice to ride in some different types of terrain, so we will be going back to Mustang and probably some of the other NJ rides in the future. Thanks to Holly MacDonald and her team for putting on the event!
Another exhausting but amazing 4 days at the Big E has come and gone. With Quinn aged-out of 4-H, Amanda is the only youth left showing goats. Adding to the madness, I (Rob) returned from a work trip at 1130 on Thursday and we (Rob and Amanda) headed up to the Big E at 1 that afternoon. The Eastern States Exposition (aka Big E) is the defacto New England State Fair and this dairy goat show is the culmination of the show season for youth from the 6 New England states. I am part of the show committee assisting with the planning and execution as well as chaperone for some of the youth male participants.
Amanda took 6 goats to show in the youth show, but only 1 milker. Porsche is Amanda’s milker and showmanship goat because Amanda loves her, but Porsche hates her job. She is hard to clip and kicks HARD when you try to do anything to her back legs. Porsche also hates when the judge tries to touch her. Friday included the fitting and showmanship competitions where Amanda was in the 2nd oldest group of 13 youth; she placed 6th in both fitting and showmanship.
Sawfish AS Porsche – Best of Breed
On Saturday, the breed classes were judged. This is a youth show and most breeds don’t have a lot of competition, although lamanchas are starting to become more popular. Of note, we get to see CH (pending) Majenli LK Carolina’s 2023 daughter and granddaughter who are in Maine at this show each year. Sawfish AS Porsche took Champion and Best of Breed Lamancha in the senior show and then Sawfish Bon Bon took Junior Champion Lamancha where Amanda had 4 of the 5 in the lineup.
As always, it was a busy weekend and Amanda ran out of gas at times. But a quick nap ringside gave her enough of a recharge to keep going. Since Amanda no longer has Quinn to hang out with, she spent more time with the other exhibitors and started building the stronger friendships this event is famous for.
Best Sr Doe in Show lineupSleeping AmandaLamancha Jr Champion Line upAmanda and Lexi collaborating during skill a thonAwards
After the youth show ended on Saturday, some of the goats left and others started moving in. Rob headed home for the night to get more goats and Amanda slept in the barn with other exhibitors. The quick turnaround at home had me back in Springfield by 7 am Sunday with our pens loaded up with most of our herd. Anna didn’t join the showing because she now has a job and had to work (but that’s a different story).
Sawfish AS Porsche took first in her age group, but didn’t win overall. CH (pending) Majenli LK Carolina was 2nd in the Champion Challenge/Best of Breed lineup.
The real magic happened in the junior Lamancha show. There were 13 junior Lamanchas representing 7 different herds. When we got to the champion lineup for junior Lamanchas, the Sawfish herd had 3 of the 4 first place goats and Sawfish Bon Bon was chosen as Junior Champion out of the youngest age group. This earned her restricted leg. Of note, her aunt, Sawfish QS Mina, did the same thing at this show last year.
Sawfish Bon Bon – 2025 Big E2025 Big E Best Jr Doe in Show lineup
While Fox’s Pride took the Best Junior Doe in Show award with a very nice Nubian (even if it does have long ears). Bon Bon got a lot of looks from the judge before it was said and done. In the end, Amanda won Premier Lamancha Breeder and Premier Lamancha Junior Exhibitor.
Since we were at a nice venue and had the girls out, we took some updated pictures to share. That concludes our show season and we are excited to get started with breeding. Stay tuned for the release of our breeding plans.
Sawfish Bon Bon – 2025 Big ESawfish Tiramisu – 2025 Big ESawfish Apple Fritter – 2025 Big ESawfish Creme Brulee – 2025 Big ESawfish Kipu – 2025 Big ESawfish QS Mina – 2025 Big ESawfish Chrysi – 2025 Big ECH (pending) Majenli LK Carolina – 2025 Big ESawfish AS Porsche – 2025 Big E
Another weekend, another goat show. Today, (9/1/25) we went to the Blandford, MA Fair. We attended last year for the first time. While this show is a 2 hr drive away, it is sanctioned and it’s nice to see a few different herds than some of our other shows. Here are our results under judge Ed Cavanagh: Best of Breed Sr Lamancha – CH (pending) Majenli LK Carolina Reserve Champion Sr Lamancha – Sawfish AS Porsche Champion Jr Lamancha – Sawfish Chrysi Reserve Jr Champion Jr Lamancha – Sawfish Apple Fritter Champion Record Grade – Lucky 4-Leaf E Red Hot Chili Reserve Champion Jr Record Grade – Sawfish Kipu
Amanda was able to get some practice in for showmanship before the Big E and took 2nd of 10 in her class. Our friend Terrell came along to help out and spend the day visiting. Overall, it was a long day but the weather was great and we had fun.
Bling! Bling!Amanda with Sawfish AS PorscheAmanda with Sawfish AS Porsche Amanda with Sawfish AS Porsche and Anna with Sawfish ChrysiAmanda with Lucky 4-Leaf E Red Hot ChiliLucky 4-Leaf E Red Hot Chili (2025)Rob with CH (pending) Majenli LK Carolina in Best Sr Doe in Show lineupRob with CH (pending) Majenli LK Carolina Rob with CH (pending) Majenli LK Carolina Rob with CH (pending) Majenli LK Carolina Sawfish Chrysi in Best Jr Doe in Show lineupRob with Sawfish KipuAnna and Terrell hanging outBest of Breed and Champion Jr Lamancha prizes
Last Sunday (8/17/25) we headed to the Heath, MA Fair for the first time. They have an ADGA sanctioned show we wanted to check out and we really enjoyed this event. Amanda was headed to camp in VT, so Anna had to drive her and didn’t get to the fair until ~2:30. Luckily, our friend Hillary was having some goat show FOMO and decided to join Rob with 8 of the goats. Here are our results: Best of Breed Sr Lamancha – Sawfish Porsche Champion Jr Lamancha – Sawfish Apple Fritter Best of Breed Sr Record Grade – Lucky 4-Leaf E Red Hot Chili Champion Jr Record Grade – Sawfish Tiramisu
We definitely plan to return to Heath next year.
Bling Bling!Sawfish PorscheL-R Sawfish Creme Brulee, Sawfish Bon Bon, Sawfish Apple FritterSawfish TiramisuSawfish Apple FritterSawfish TiramisuL – Sawfish Porsche, R – Sawfish Apple FritterL – Sawfish Tiramisu, R – Sawfish KipuTiramisu saying helloLucky 4-leaf E Red Hot ChiliLucky 4-Leaf E Red Hot ChiliLucky 4-Leaf E Red Hot Chili
Today, (8/24/25) we went to the Brooklyn Fair. This event has become our local favorite at only 20 minutes up the road. Here are our results: Best of Breed Sr Lamancha – Majenli LK Carolina Champion Jr Lamancha – Sawfish Chrysi Best of Breed Sr Record Grade – Lucky 4-Leaf E Red Hot Chili Champion Jr Record Grade – Sawfish Kipu Best Sr Doe in Show – Majenli LK Carolina Best Jr Doe in Show – Sawfish Chrysi
We didn’t get as many pictures because when you have 10 goats and only 3 handlers at a small, fast paced show, you don’t stop to take photos.
Amanda with Sawfish PorscheAmanda with Sawfish PorscheLucky 4-Leaf E Red Hot ChiliMajenli LK Carolina’s prizeBling BlingSawfish Chrysi’s prize
This post is in memory of Hedgehog Hollows American Eagle aka Huey 4/7/2001-7/23/2025.
July 23 2025
In May 2013, we moved into our current house. Amanda turned 3. A good friend told us about a Dartmoor farm in MD that was downsizing and had some ponies for sale. One of those ponies was Hedgehog Hollow’s American Eagle, aka, Huey. Huey was a stallion until 9 years old when he was gelded. His name appears in a significant portion of the American Dartmoor registry, in particular because he had a grey son that was also used as a breeding stallion (grey is a legal but less common color in Dartmoors). June 10, 2013, Quinn and Rob picked up Huey in Maryland and brought him home, designated as Amanda’s pony, because 3 is totally an appropriate age to get your first pony in this family.
Huey was the epitome of a pony. All attitude, boss of the herd, a saint at times and a terror at others. He did everything over the years and Amanda grew up with him. He was a Pony Club mount, show pony, games pony, lesson pony, trail horse, driving pony, and endurance mount. He let us know early on he was not the pony for teaching up downers and you’d better have a concept of inside leg to outside hand or he was taking YOU for a spin. Rarely did he pop into a canter without some sort of antics, usually a little crow hop. He tolerated arena work, but loved trail riding. Amanda is most proud of the 19 limited distance endurance competitions she and Huey completed together to break 500 LD miles.
Alexis and HueyAmanda on HueyAmanda riding Huey without helpHuey sporting a new sleazy from Just for PoniesAmanda on Huey waiting for her dressage testAmanda and Huey on the 3rd dayQuinn ground driving Huey around the yardRob driving Huey in the sleigh with Amanda riding alongAlex driving Huey in the sleighAmanda on Huey and Rob on Mojo ready to hit the trailsAmanda taking off Huey’s halterAmanda and Huey practicing Pony Club gamesAmanda on Huey, Alex on Dakota, and Anna on TeddyAmanda and Huey jumping at the end of the rideAmanda and HueyAmanda grazing HueyAmanda and Huey headed outAmanda does her own trot-outs with HueyAmanda and Huey at a grass breakDr Nick Kohut vetting Huey for the completionAmanda vetting in HueyAmanda and HueyAmanda and HueyAmanda and HueyAmanda on Huey and Anna on AmiraRob and Huey
We retired Huey in 2023. Last winter Huey struggled. A few mild colics, refusal to eat consistently, we did a round of gastro guard and sucralfate for an ulcer flare. He seemed to perk up this spring when the grass came in, but then started losing weight. A LOT of weight. He stopped eating grain. He started getting cold and shaking in rainy cool weather, even with a sheet on. We did blood work and treated him for potential tickborne illness, but he continued to decline. Based on his blood work and continued decline, our vet believes he had cancer. We decided to not let him suffer and end things on a good day. This morning he had all the carrots he wanted and we let him out in the yard where the grass is plentiful. The sun was shining and we told him he was the best pony a girl could ever have. Amanda stayed with him until he was gone. We will miss that pony.
At 0300 on Wednesday, June 25th, Rob and Amanda pulled out of the driveway with Mojo on the trailer headed to Maryland for a week. The Old Dominion Equestrian Endurance Organization has been putting on Junior/Young Rider clinics for quite a few years. We wanted the kids to participate in 2023, but the scheduling just didn’t work out. This year, it fit perfectly on the calendar and Amanda was able to attend.
With temperatures in the mid-90s on Wednesday, the 0300 departure was intended to get Mojo to the camp with minimal heat stress and get past New York city before rush hour. 6 hours and 45 minutes later, with only a single stop, we arrived at the Carroll County Equestrian Center in Mt Airy, MD. The facility includes 2 outdoor arenas and a pavilion. Horses camped endurance style in electric fencing and portable corrals. Some adults stayed on-site in LQ trailers and tents. The youth and some parents (including Rob) slept in air conditioned cabins at the nearby Ramblin’ Pines campground.
Hand grazing after 7 hours on the trailerCamp set up Day 1
The clinic was 5 days of mounted work with about 3 hours in the saddle each morning. The camp director, Teri Carroll, assembled clinicians from both the local area and some who flew in to participate. There were 9 girls from 11 to 19 years old and a few adults who participated. All the youth had some amount of experience in the sport, but 2 have already done 100 mile rides. The mounted time included posture work, a ground handling session, centered riding, cavaletti work, yoga/stretching on and off horse, and some short trails.
Mounted lessonsGround workRinse after working
Afternoons included “classroom sessions” under the pavilion learning about centered riding, body work, vet cards, nutrition, personal goals, a farrier presentation, and more. It was a diverse schedule with a lot of topics packed into 5 days of time. Sometimes the kids ran out of steam.
Practicing with a stethoscopeTired Amanda
One day was spent at the Double C Farm mountain trail obstacle course.
Obstacles at Double C FarmObstacles at Double C Farm
There were tons of corporate sponsors for the event. Each day included a different (human) electrolyte company to keep everyone hydrated. The group got samples of various products and there was definitely some product testing happening. Due to the heat throughout the week, there were also quite a few water fights.
Amanda using the new brush from CEPAmanda using the new hoof pick from CEPAmanda with some hoof armorBuckeye treats for everyoneSore No More samplesTrying the electrolyte of the day
Our endurance riding friend Sonja drove from 2 hours away to come for a short visit.
There are tons more photos from the whole clinic on the Old Dominion Equestrian Endurance Organization Facebook page. While Amanda learned a lot through the week, her number 1 goal was to make new friends in the endurance community. Goal met.
I hope next year more youth will participate in this great opportunity.
In 2019, I (Rob) took a beekeeping class with the intention of getting bees that year. 6 years later, the apiary finally became a reality. I have been collecting equipment for a couple of months and today I picked up 4 packages of bees from Stonewall Apiary. A package is 3lb of bees, or about 10,000 bees. A typical hive will have up to 80,000 bees, but the number I hear most in New England is around 40,000. The picture shows a 5th hive on the stands which I have set up with the hopes of catching a swarm, or group of bees that left a previous hive. Up in the tree there is a smaller blue box which is a different swarm trap. If I get lucky, I’ll get some free bees.
In an average year, honey would be harvested twice (mid-summer and fall). However, when establishing new hives, a fall harvest is really the only option. So hopefully, I’ll be bottling honey this fall.
