Hi all! It’s Samantha’s assistant, Rebekah Bukowski here. Funny story, you might recall a post Sam wrote awhile back (May 2017!) about getting back into the swing of blogging. Well…. Yeah. That didn’t quite happen! As I’m sure most of you know, business for Samantha Walker Performance Horses has been steadily increasing in the last year and between her precious son, lessons, and training, we are staying busy all of the time. With so much to do between the ponies and lessons, Sam has handed over the reins of her website and blog to yours truly! Most of you already know me since I’ve been helping Sam since spring of last year and I’m excited to keep you all up to date on all the SWPH adventures!
To start our spring off, we had the pleasure of introducing the newest addition to the barn, baby Luna! She was born to our own resident Mazie (TC Maid Z Weedo) and Oakley (Disruptive By Design) toward the end of March. She is healthy, happy, and we are so excited to see what her future holds!
Having Luna in the barn attracts many admirers and visitors who want to come see her cuddly little face. While it is SO much fun to watch new foals, there a few important things to keep in mind! Since it’s the time of year when there are many new foals in other barns as well, I thought it would be good to send a friendly reminder to be careful to respect mom and baby’s space. For those who may not be familiar with being around mares and foals:
First, never enter a stall or turnout that has a new baby in it! As cute and precious as new foals are, it can be very disruptive to both mare and foal. Not to mention unsafe if mom comes after you trying to protect her child! (Not to mention, you should never enter any stall or turnout without permission from the trainer/owner)
Second, screaming, jumping and any disruptive behavior of sorts can be unsettling to any horse, especially a new mother and uncertain foal. So please, admire and visit, but please don’t be rowdy!
Finally, if a trainer or owner has mom and baby out in the grooming/communal area of the barn, always keep a safe distance away and don’t approach or try to pet without permission! Chances are you might get to go say hi, but you ALWAYS need to ask first!
Spring is such a fun time of year, thank you for taking the time to make sure Mom and baby feel at ease and everyone stays safe!!
Hope to see you around the barn!
-Rebekah Bukowski