Downsizing

We are downsizing for the winter and making room for more sheep.  So we said goodbye to Faun, Farm Girl's original goat.

We have decided that every animal on the farm should have a purpose and since Farm Girl has redirected her interest in goats to the milking kind, it was evident Faun did not measure up.  We have owned her for nearly 3 years and even though she has been exposed to a buck, she has been unable to breed.  Farm Girl had already sold all her previous meat goats before she went out west, but Faun she was unable to let go since she had been her favourite.  But distance heals all wounds and Faun no longer held a twinkle in Farm Girl's eye, so she sold her and we said goodbye to her today.  

Along with two other much more difficult decisions.  We knew we had too many horses, I only need one and Farm Girl only needs one.  We had four.  So someone had to go, question was who.  In the end the decision was made and Chloe and Chase were eliminated.  Chloe, though I enjoyed riding her tremendously, belonged to Oldest who wanted nothing to do with her.  I had never really bonded with Chloe like I had Aussie even though I felt safe on her and rode her more often, there is just something about Aussie I absolutely adore.  So my choice was Aussie over Chloe.

But it wasn't really a tough call for me, but for Farm Girl, it was a little tougher.  Chase over Sierra.  Sierra is young, green, not broke but comes from good bloodlines and may be a good breeding horse.  Chase was her real "first horse".  He taught her a lot, made her the rider she is today.  But she needed to go further and he couldn't take her to the next level.  He needed to find another young Farm Girl to teach.  In the end, she made the decision to let Chase go.

What is nice is that we sold them to a family friend so we will be able to see them through Facebook and keep updates on how things are going.  I think they will be very happy in their new home and will be great school horses for their new novice riders.  For me, without Chloe I will be forced to ride my own horse more.  It's my personal goal.  To bond with Aussie in the saddle as much as I do on the ground.