Training the Pony and Keeping In the Sheep

Here is our pony, Betsy.  Miles got his very own pony for free.  She wasn’t tame, so our Amish neighbors are working with her to get her broke for pulling a cart with the kids.  She is a cute little girl.  She matches our cow.  We are building her a stall in the barn and putting up some fencing out in pasture for her right now.  It will be such a joy to have her home and it will give our Miles a good amount more chores to do each day.  Boys need lots of chores to keep them out of mischief.  Miles is doing a book report on pony care and he is so excited about his new friend, Betsy.  He can’t wait to brush her and work with her each day.  Raising kids with animals is such a wonderful thing, as it teaches responsibility and how to look out for the needs of another creature.  I can’t stress enough the importance of keeping animals at your home.  Even if you live in an apartment in the city, you can still teach your kids how to care for a pet cat or a pet mouse.  A pet mouse needs water and food and fresh bedding.  Kids thrive when giving purpose.  A pet gives them a purpose.  Because we live in the country, our kids have big animals.  Recently, the kids saved their money to buy shetland sheep.  We have 11 sheep now!  They have to feed and water their own sheep and we require them to pay for the extra hay that we have to buy right now to feed them during the winter.  It is a good thing!  Now my husband is making a pen and pasture for the sheep as well.  We will be shearing them before they lamb and that will be a new adventure.  We have been having some adventure already with our sheep.  They escaped a couple times and we had to work together to herd them back into the barn.  One sheep ran into a subdivision nearby and then into someone’s garage.  It was nice to meet our new neighbors but a little embarrassing at the same time.  Hopefully they will not escape again.  It was fun herding them anyway.