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Not by the hairs of my chinny chin chin! Remember that quote from the children’s book, The Three Little Pigs? Well…I didn’t see as many hairs on the pig’s chin as I did on the goat.
Part 1 of my story introduced you to The H4H ranch, Willie, Zeus and more – if you missed it be sure to click the link at the bottom of this post! The goats are awesome and they love to chew and nibble. They run free in the larger penned area and you can tell when they are in heat. There is a dominant male who is more annoying than affectionate based on my observations this day. The “Hey baby” whisper in the ear while trying to chew on it resulted in a swift nudge. #yougogirl 😉
This experience will definitely stimulate your five main senses:
- Sight – overstimulating but in an amazing way; miniature ponies playing a game of tag; the dog trying to catch the rooster; the llama moving faster than dancers at the Electric Daisy Carnival; the horses people watching like it’s a game of tennis; the campfire; the ducks playing duck, duck, goose and more
- Smell – ahhh, the smell….close your eyes and inhale deeply – the smells change as you move about; the smoky but not too smoky campfire air wafts to the front of the property; there’s a grassy smell near the large cart of feed buckets holding alfalfa cubes; poop – yep there are some smells but the layout of the property and slight winds allows them to flow; straw and hay bales give off a grainy, dusty smell
- Touch – your hands wrap the cold, metal rails to get closer to the llama and steer; the hinged gate to the donkey/alpaca/goat pen which you move every so slowly as to not let any animals sneak past; the fur: Juliet the donkey and Willie the steer have course, fibrous hair; the bunnies are covered in silky smooth fur that you stroke in the direction of growth trying to get each hair(hare lol) back in place; the lead rope feels strong and flexible but firm for those occasional pulls
- Hearing – Squawk from the rooster; giggles and squeals from the children, visitors speaking in many languages; crackle and pop of the camp fire; the donkey making donkey noises; snorts from the pig; scraping and banging noises as the horses rub their teeth on the metal rails and kick them to garner immediate attention; splashing from the ducks playing in the plastic pool; plopping: nature is the bathroom for animals
- Taste – if there is any wind, everything may have a hint of dry, dirt taste quickly relieved by a splash of cold water, hot chocolate and/or a gooey marshmallow s’more from the campfire
Meet the crew:
Juliet the donkey – The entire time we were around her she was chewing on something. I stooped down low to get a good look at her face. She wasn’t bothered by the many hands on her all at once while she was eating like a dog or other animal more protective of its food. We humored ourselves for awhile by answering everything “OK, Donkey” in the voice of Shrek followed by numerous giggles. I will always be a child at heart 🙂
Roxanne the alpaca – Oh I am enamored by this animal! We have previously toured an alpaca farm in Arizona, and I fell in love. Roxanne, like the main feature of the song by The Police, is a hot mess. She isn’t super people friendly and since this isn’t designed to be a petting zoo, she can do her own things like rolling in the straw and somehow staring you down under those 80’s big-hair bangs 🙂
OLFACTORY OVERLOAD:
This miniature horse had us cracking up! Some of you may have seen a horse when it looks like it is sniffing its upper lip and showing off its teeth. That is called the Flehman response. During our time with the horses, I didn’t witness that but this show of sniffing and affection by far was entirely entertaining! Those teeth definitely show some use – did you know horses eat 20 pounds of food per day?! There are four mini horses – Roger and Bravo, Cinnamon and Prince. They are not rideable but as a species were very much needed in Nevada for pulling carts out of mines.
They have a sweet and loving demeanor and make excellent teaching aides for the multi-generational audiences.In terms of the horse’s coats and the fact these are living in a desert where it doesn’t get very cold means there needs to be some nature involved. A reduction in daylight(the number of hours the sun is out) triggers the pituitary gland to grow out the winter coat and help keep it warm. Isn’t that fascinating?
Why is a horse more like a rabbit than a dog? Horses and rabbits are prey animals and they are used to being eaten (they exude plenty of self defense moves) and they are both herbivores: plant eaters!
Penny is my favorite horse. She has such a playful, inquisitive sense of humor. Did you know that horses are the most down to earth creatures on the planet and have two blind spots? You never want to walk directly in front of or behind them. You need to walk in the line of site: eyeball to base of tail, allowing them to realize you aren’t a predator. They also have monocular vision, which means they can see different things out of each eye. I thought I was easily distracted now, I can’t begin to imagine a world like that and what my brain would have to process.
The horses are available for sponsorship or adoption. I encourage you to find your local H4H, join and volunteer! If you are in the Vegas area, I hope to see you around! Read part 1 of my story here: https://barngrublife.com/horses4heroes-las-vegas-part-1/
A special thanks to my dear friend Sydney Knott Cunningham and William Cunningham for their immense dedication to affordable horse riding and therapy for vets. Thank you to EVERY veteran for your dedication to our country. My father served during World War 2, Korea and the Vietnam war. My mom spent 32 years civil service at our Air Force base and I worked several summers of day camps at Scott AFB during Desert Storm. Witnessing the sacrificing that the individuals and their families went through for our safety is indescribable. Vets- please utilize these resources to energize your soul. #proudtobeanAmerican
