Kona Forest Farm

11/29/2023

ISO regular barn help 3 evenings a week. Chores and sometimes turn in/feed. Opportunity for riding available for right person in addition to pay. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. 3 very sweet, polite pony mares.

08/27/2023

Had one of those days on a pony mare in heat who decided today she was not going out without someone else. After finally adjusting to my Corgi rustling in the brush, she today refused to go out without him. Trails too wet for riding today, so Churro stayed home, and I insisted that my company alone was sufficient. A half mile hand jog up the road and and a few temper-tantrums later, we hacked up the road at the pace of a geriatric snail, tried to turn and follow anyone walking a dog, crashed a birthday party of screaming 4-year-olds in a trampoline (we were walking by one in progress)who promptly came screaming out to see us, ate a cupcake like a lady (Gypsy, not me, I still couldn’t breathe from the aforementioned jog), got to the half-way point to home, suddenly remembered that she had friends and increased her speed to that of a drunken tortoise. On the last 1/2 mile she considered that there was a good possibility of carrots at home, and found she had other gaits available. Any enthusiasm engendered by friends and the thought of carrots promptly evaporated faster than the sweat (still) running down my face when I politely explained that there was flatwork in the ring to yet accomplish, having done no actual exercise herself thus far. After a couple tantrums, we managed a few nice 20 meter circles at something approaching a forward trot, a few turns on the haunches and some decent transitions and the knowledge that even if I owned an AED, there was no one home to defibrillate me, I decided to end on a positive note and finish with a rectangular halt. Pony was quite pleased with her performance and I am chagrined to add not only was she not sweaty, but not even warm enough to suggest her stubborn little pony heart still beat at all. Picture from a day earlier this week when she was not in heat and her Corgi buddy kept her company on the trails as I was otherwise occupied today trying for FORWARD. She sure is cute, and has made such great strides, today was just one of those days. Beats a day without riding any day though!!

01/23/2023

Ponies happy to come in tonight, though not looking forward to the Yelp reviews on the service lol.

12/07/2022

Sounds like I’m there now!

When I Am An Old Horsewoman
I shall wear turquoise and diamonds,
And a straw hat that doesn’t suit me
And I shall spend my social security on
white wine and carrots,
And sit in my alleyway of my barn
And listen to my horses breathe.

will sneak out in the middle of a summer night
And ride the old bay gelding,
Across the moonstruck meadow
If my old bones will allow
And when people come to call, I will smile and nod
As I walk past the gardens to the barn
and show instead the flowers growing
inside stalls fresh-lined with straw.

I will shovel and sweat and wear hay in my hair
as if it were a jewel
And I will be an embarrassment to ALL
Who will not yet have found the peace in being free
to have a horse as a best friend
A friend who waits at midnight hour
With muzzle and nicker and patient eyes
For the kind of woman I will be
When I am old.

-Author Patty Barnhart

11/20/2022

ISO mini or pony mare for companion to a sweet gentle large pony mare.

09/24/2022

Available October 1st: one stall in small two horse private barn in Moultonborough.
12 x 12 stall, turnout with run-in shed with one well behaved pony mare. Sand riding ring, access to trails that go to Braun Bay. Also have small attached paddock for layup/recovery.

06/04/2022

Hello friends! Anyone interested in an on farm lease/half lease of a fat, adorable Cookie Monster pony to go for hacks in the trails behind my farm? Not terribly athletic, but if you are ambitious, and fit, she will do flat work in the ring. Will throw out a buck if you push her now and then, but she doesn’t want to work hard enough to be serious about it.
Will cheerfully toodle down the trail, pretend to be afraid of chipmunks and stand in the water all day helping you eat snacks and drink beer. She is built like a Corgi, long backed and short legged and will not be winning any dressage shows. Jumping would require WAY more ambition but sometimes she can be convinced that flat work is fun if cookies are involved.
Mostly I would just like her to have more attention and maybe some exercise. Can trade for help feeding and mucking or yard work with added bonus of free veggies from the garden.
Moultonborough, NH