Dun-Pikin Farm

02/17/2025

Have you ever had one of those weekends where it never stopped raining? Tammy is right there with you! But even on silly (or wet) days there is always fun to be had at the barn. Come make some memories with us! Come Ride With Us!

Cindy 🐴

02/16/2025

Feb 16 2020

02/16/2025

Ahead of the expected rainy weather today, Rick and I once again took on the task of re-tarping the pony shed. I say again because I’m pretty sure this is at least the 3rd time we’ve put a tarp on that roof. Why in the heck don’t we just put a new roof on it you ask? Mostly because the building is probably not worth the expense. There’s a lot of rotted wood in that shed. It’s not just shingles it needs, but new stringers, plywood, siding and trim. It’s just seen better days. Tarping it to get just a little more time out of the building makes the most sense.

Despite the shape of the shed, Lillie, Tic Toc and Tammy live quite happily in it. A new tarp will keep it dry inside again. It was never part of the plan to use that for ponies anyway. Some may even remember when the goats lived on one side and we stored sawdust in the other side. I don’t even remember when we moved the goats out and the ponies in. I suppose we needed a place to put a pony. Our new plan is to eventually not use that shed anymore. Truth be told, our plans … well let’s just say they are never set in stone.

It wasn’t easy getting that tarp up and over the shed roof. Rick was not deterred though. With straps and cord we were able to coax the tarp up and over the roof. A few tucks, and a couple of boards to secure it , and once again the roof has a brand new tarp on it. Rick claimed it wasn’t his best work, and maybe not but the tarps on, and that was the goal. When you have a farm, there’s never enough time, hands or money to get everything that needs doing, done. At Dun-Pikin we git-r-done so you can Come Ride With Us!

Cindy 🐴

02/15/2025

Big shout out to my new rising fans!

Ember Bontrager

02/15/2025

Evidently I made this collage of my horses family tree on this day last year! 2-15-2024

02/15/2025

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I hope everyone has felt the love today. I know I sure did and very early in the morning too. Surprisingly it was waiting for me at High Tide. It was hidden so it was an even more of a special surprise.

After the horses were fed and turned back out, I began my ritual of neatening the stalls up and sweeping the feed shed. When I reached for the broom, there it was, a brand new broom hidden behind the old worn one. It was even wrapped in the appropriate valentine color. I knew right then it was a special valentine gift left for me. Someone knew exactly what would be the perfect gift for me.

That someone of course was Madelaine, the owner of High Tide. She came yesterday to feed and give me a break. I know it was just a coincidence that she happened to bring the broom yesterday, but her timing was perfect. I do love a new broom. There’s nothing better than a new broom except maybe a new pitchfork, but she brought a couple of those not too long ago.

Some people are happy with flowers, candy, and cards. Me … I appreciate the more practical things. Things that make my job easier. Laugh at me if you will, today I felt appreciated and loved. Isn’t that what today is all about? Speaking of love, do you love horses? Come Ride With Us!

Cindy 🐴

02/14/2025

People keep asking me how Dublin is doing. Evidently, I haven’t mentioned him in a while. From now on when someone asks, I will tell them to ask Tony. If you don’t know, Tony is a valued volunteer who is at Dun-Pikin 5 days a week, sometimes more. He now does pretty much everything from mucking stalls, dragging fields, and walking horses to putting out hay rounds. Today when he arrived I was getting ready to walk Dublin down to the field. Not only did he find a dry blanket to put on him but he offered to turn him out for me.

I thankfully agreed as I needed to take down some forage for Dublin. It would save me a trip. Tony and Dublin went first, I followed behind stopping at the water spigot to add water to Dub’s forage. I looked up and saw Dublin prancing around with the rope still attached. Where was Tony? It was just about then I saw Tony down on the ground. I hurried down to see if he was alright. Thankfully when I got down there, I found Tony laughing. Fortunately, he was ok. Unfortunately, though not only did Tony fall but he fell into a BIG mud puddle. He was laughing so hard he could not get up. I was very tempted to take his picture. He was literally wallowing in the mud. I decided not to, thinking it would be rude. I found out later he was disappointed that I hadn’t.

Evidently Dublin was excited to go out and when they got to the gate Dublin rushed through knocking Tony over. Obviously not good behavior, but evidently Dublin is feeling pretty good and back to his old self. Dublin is lucky Tony is a forgiving person. Tony had literally been at the farm for less than a half hour, because of his dip in the puddle he headed back home to change. He was back later though, ready to help with the afternoon chores. He jokingly told me he had mud in his underwear.

Now that’s what I call a volunteer. Willing to forgive a tumble into a puddle and come back for more. Thankfully the afternoon chores were much more uneventful. Tony did tell me that he had already put a change of clothes in his van. I guess it always pays to be prepared.

There is always something going on at the farm. You can see for yourself when you Come Ride With Us!

Cindy 🐴

02/13/2025

2-13-2018

02/13/2025

Anytime there is snow in the forecast I don't hesitate to express my dislike for it. It makes everything much harder to do when it comes to horse care. People always say, “but it’s so pretty.” Hmmm… I guess it can be, but this pic is usually my reality when it comes to snow and the horses.

I cleaned 15 stalls today by myself. The snow kept my usual volunteer help at home. I turned out 15 horses. At least 6 went out at a trot, excited by the snow. I struggled to keep up. The tractor slipped and slid in the slush as I headed to the manure pile. The 4-wheel drive does not work. I had to dig the sawdust pile out of the snow for the front stalls. That was my fault I was unprepared. You get the idea though; snow is not something I like to see.

All that being said, I had a good day. I was blessed to have Layla help me for an hour or so this evening too. Thank you, Layla! I’m proud of myself for getting it all done. I’m tired and sore, but I feel very accomplished. I will admit though it’s not 7:30 PM yet and as soon as I’m done here, I’m heading to bed. I’ll be dreaming about horses and riders going around in the ring. I’m looking forward to the day when you can Come Ride With Us!

Cindy 🐴

02/12/2025

Big shout out to my newest top fans! 💎

Kayleigh Be, Taylor Dearborn, Janet Klingenberg, Linda Moon, Kay Klovstad, Vicky Olsen, Allison Jones, Jennifer Shippie Jenkins, Tom Plourde, Isabel Schulze, June Beebe, Liliana Pineda, Paul Higgins, Anna Urmom, Patty Mac, Roxanne Hatcher

Drop a comment to welcome them to our community,

02/12/2025

Feb 12 2020

02/12/2025

Yesterday the ring was groomed and ready for riding. It looked great! This afternoon I looked out … well let’s just say it might be a few more days until you can Come Ride with Us!

Cindy 🐴

02/11/2025

Looks like we had about the same weather on this day in 2018.

02/11/2025

02/11/2025

I’ve always loved this picture of Marley. Probably because it doesn’t look like him at all. This picture had to be a fluke. As silly as he looks in this picture, most days he looks the exact opposite. Marley always has a concerned worried look on his face. He looks like the old man that he is. Don’t get me wrong, Marley is an amazing horse. He’s calm and kind. He has his own fan club at Dun-Pikin. You can’t not love Marley.

Marley was chosen because of his calm demeanor while being ridden literally in a field with about 20 other horses milling around. He hasn’t disappointed us over the years either. He has taken great care of our students while providing them with a few challenges. Marley has been known to walk out of the ring if given the chance. A rider has to steer or he’ll go where he wants to go. He’s also gotten a bit lazy too. A rider needs to be firm with Marley.

Last year Marley had a lot of issues. He suffered from laminitis, a hoof issue and heaves. Thankfully both seem to be under control with supplements, medication and environmental changes. The bottom line is, Marley is ready to go. All we need now is some rideable weather so you can Come Ride With Us!

Cindy 🐴

02/10/2025

Feb 10, today in 2024! Layla Reynolds and Chessie!!!

02/10/2025

This is Tammy, probably the most underestimated pony in our lesson program. She’s a medium size pony that we had leased from a man we had bought another pony from. We had a need for another pony to use for pony rides. When we asked him if he had another pony, he was interested in selling he told us about Tammy. At that point he wasn’t interested in selling her, but he offered to lease her to us by the month. She sounded suitable for what we wanted her for, and we were kinda desperate, so we struck a deal and arranged to have Tammy delivered to the farm.

As always, we were excited at the prospect of meeting a new pony and excitement grew as the trailer came up the driveway. I had seen pictures, and I thought she was a real cutie, so I was a bit taken back when she backed out of the trailer. She was certainly cute, but her mane was just a solid mass of burrs. When I said something about them he kinda laughed and said he was sure we had some little girl who would just love to untangle her mane. Hmmm … I wasn’t so sure about that, but I paid him for the first month, he put the ramp up and left kinda quickly. I’m pretty sure he was a bit embarrassed.

So, there I stood with a pony in desperate need of some serious attention. Fixing her mane was going to be no easy task. Where to start? Obviously, she was extremely nervous not knowing where she was or who we were. I was worried it would be hard getting all those burrs out without freaking her totally out. I threw my dilemma out to the horse folks on facebook. The one idea that several people suggested was using WD-40.

Before I go on, I will say it was a controversial suggestion. Many thought it was barbaric to spray a chemical not meant for animals on her mane. Honestly so many people had used it for similar reasons. I decided to give it a try. After all, I was just going to spray it on hair, not her skin. Rick held her while I sprayed the burrs. It was like a miracle. They dissolved right out of her hair. In ten minutes, the burrs were gone. I shampooed her mane really well and within a half an hour Tammy was out in the field grazing with her mane drying in the breeze. She was indeed a real cutie.

Obviously, we eventually bought Tammy. She has worked out well for us not only giving pony rides but in our lesson program too. She doesn't like having her girth tightened. She gets very impatient if she has to wait after being tacked up. She gets upset if she’s the first turned out in the field or the last one left. She’s also famous for trying to run back out of the gate after being turned out. Yes … she can be a bit quirky, but she is a mare after all. She really is a great pony. See for yourself when you Come Ride with Us!

Cindy 🐴

02/09/2025

I know all of us at the barn everyday miss this face ♥️♥️♥️ 2-9-2018