Blue Star Equiculture

Blue Star Trading Post

2009-06-02T06:40:00.007-04:00

Our Memorial Day Weekend tag sale was so successful that we decided to continue holding a tag sale all summer long to raise money for our vet bills!

We will be open every weekend throughout the summer: Saturday & Sunday 8am - 4pm. People are bringing new things every day. All proceeds go toward the care of the horses.

Come and look around! We are a tag sale without tags! If you see something you like, make a donation of whatever you think it's worth.

We have all kinds of things for sale: household items, electronics, exercise equipment, gift items, hardware, stationery, greeting cards, clothing, art work, books, toys, furniture and more. Something new comes every day.

While you're here, you might also want to take a ride on our horse-drawn carriage or hay wagon. We will be giving rides Saturday & Sunday from 12pm-4pm. Donations suggested.*

This is the ultimate in recycling programs! Come to the farm to buy items that others no longer want but that you need. Proceeds go to support the mission of Blue Star Equiculture.

Currently, Blue Star Equiculture is accepting items to be offered for sale, so it's time for some spring cleaning! Empty those closets, attics, basements and garages, buy locally from what would otherwise go unused, and fill up the horses' feed bins! Items to be sold at the tag sale can be dropped off at Blue Star Equiculture.

*Donations suggested to support the mission of Blue Star Equiculture. Blue Star Equiculture is a non-profit organization whose primary funding comes from the generosity of the general public. Donations go directly to the care of the horses. Click here to find out more.

Brave New World for Blue Star Horses

2009-05-29T21:20:00.006-04:00

The cows have finally been moved, the pasture was cleaned up and prepared, and the Blue Star Equiculture herd at last made itself at home in the largest of our pastures.

Equine paradise!

(Don't worry girls--Cupcake won't eat ALL the grass! [Though he's going to try...]

(The whole herd checks out the pasture...all 14!)

(Jesse in the the clover.)

(Huey ponders the salad bar before him.)

(Peggy's winter foal coat is finally shedding!)

(Tom stretches his rather large legs!)

(Duchess)

(Chyna strikes up a trot)

(Mike the chaperone)

We're just here for the convenience store, not the pump...

2009-05-29T21:14:00.004-04:00

On Memorial Day, the Blue Star gang took our Belgian Bloc (Duchess, Chyna and Tom) out for a drive into Three Rivers. Along the way, Tom had to stop to fill up the tank.

Memorial Day

2009-05-24T22:32:00.003-04:00

Look back on our struggle for freedom,
Trace our present day's strength to its source;
And you'll find that man's pathway to glory
Is strewn with the bones of a horse.

~Anonymous

Blue Star Equiculture remembers the men, women and horses that have served our country and fought for our freedom.

(For a lighter Memorial Day remembrance, check out this article about USMC Staff Sergeant Reckless, a chestnut Korean race mare who valiantly carried ammunition for her unit in the Korean War.)

Wagons, ho!

2009-05-24T07:18:00.005-04:00

The wagon and harness for Duchess and Chyna arrived on Friday. Lindsey took the girls out for their first trip in harness at Blue Star Equiculture.

She had Justin Morace, a carriage driver from Philadelphia, as her co-pilot.

Tom was quite happy to tag along pulling the carriage. Tom is quite enamored with the blonde Belgian beauties.

Wagon rides continue today and tomorrow as part of Blue Star Equiculture's official Grand Opening Tag Sale. There's still lots of great things to buy at the tag sale, so stop on by! The tag sale runs from 8 - 4 today and tomorrow. Wagon rides depart on the hour starting at noon today. The last ride today leaves at 6 pm. Wagon rides are free (donations are greatly appreciated by Duchess and Chyna).

Yay, warmth!

2009-05-16T20:24:00.001-04:00

The soil has warmed and planting begun! Plenty of tasty veggies including, cucumbers and tomatos, are now in the womb of Mother Earth. May 30th is considered to be the last day for a potential freeze and hopefully our little guys have luck on their side.

The trees are blooming, the grass is becoming green, and very soon we will have access to a gorgeous pasture that even has a scenic creek that trickles through!

In other news, Huey Khan was graciously given a new warmblood-sized halter! Thank you Carol Redmund and Liza!

A Bonneville arrived May 14th as a donation to Blue Star Equiculture! And it is blue!!

As always, come have fun with equines as an Equiculture volunteer!

T-Shirts are here!

2009-05-14T19:19:00.005-04:00

Our new t-shirts have arrived!

Suggested donation: $15 on site, $20 if shipped.

Visit our t-shirt page over on the main site!

All proceeds from the t-shirts will go directly to the care of our horses.

FREE Organics Workshop Saturday, May 16

2009-05-13T09:03:00.003-04:00

THE SOIL IS ALIVE
Healthy soil = Healthy people

Blue Star Equiculture is offering a free organics workshop this Saturday, May 16, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. The presentation / discussion on organic soil, lawn and garden care will be led by Mother Earth Organics CEO Glenn Battin.

Topics covered will include

Soil condition and feeding
Microbial soil life
Natural weed control and disease prevention
7 Keys to Healthy Soil

We look forward to seeing you there! Call (413)289-9787 for more information.

Memorial Day Grand Opening!

2009-05-12T22:08:00.003-04:00

We're all eagerly waiting to welcome you officially to Blue Star Equiculture!

A new day has dawned. Spring has sprung. And Blue Star Equiculture announces its official "Grand Opening" to be held Memorial Day weekend, Saturday, May 23 through Monday, May 25.

Events will include a tag sale, wagon rides, meet-and-greets with the horses and BSE staff, and more! Stay tuned here or on our main website for more details!

____________________________________

Looking for an easy way to help Blue Star Equiculture, clean out your closets and participate in communal recycling?

Donate items to the Blue Star Equiculture Memorial Day Weekend Tag Sale!

Blue Star Equiculture is looking for items to sell in our tag sale (that's a garage / yard sale for those of y'all not from New England)! Your donated items will help care for our horses and support our mission. Donations are being accepted at Blue Star Equiculture at Burgundy Brook Farm (3090 Palmer St., Palmer, MA 01069). Don't forget to stop by the tag sale May 23-25 and pick up things that you need that someone else didn't want! Recycle -- all proceeds from the tag sale will benefit Blue Star Equiculture.

Home, home on the Grange

2009-05-08T22:52:00.004-04:00

(Promotional poster for the Grangers, 1873)

Today, Pam and Lindsey were invited to attend the monthly meeting of the Palmer chapter of the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry.

From the Massachusetts Grange:

The National Grange is the nation's oldest national agricultural organization, with grassroots units established in 3,600 local communities in 37 states. Its 300,000 members provide service to agriculture and rural areas on a wide variety of issues, including economic development, education, family endeavors, and legislation designed to assure a strong and viable Rural America. It was formed in the years following the American Civil War to unite private citizens in improving the economic and social position of the nation's farm population.

Over the past 137 years, it has evolved to include non-farm rural families and communities. The Grange is also a fraternal order known as the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, hence the "P of H" on the organization's logo. Founding members determined that a fraternal organization would be best able to combine loyalty and democratic ideals to provide service to others. The National Grange was one of the first formal groups to admit women to membership on the basis of equality with men. It remains so today.

The National Grange:

Since 1867, the National Grange, formally known as the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, has worked tirelessly for America’s family farmers and rural communities. Rural communities are the backbone of our nation and a key part of our national self-identity. Today, farming and rural communities face serious social and economic challenges. That’s why the National Grange is fighting to preserve family farms, rural communities and the rural lifestyles they represent, for generations to come!
When Rural Communities Decline, We All Lose:

Family farmers and ranchers and the natural resources they faithfully nurture.
The quality of life that comes from living in a community where your neighbors are also your friends and your primary support network.
Responsive public officials who genuinely care about the concerns of local citizens because they live and work among them every day.
The knowledge of traditional rural folk art, handicraft and homemaking skills.
Local education with low student/teacher ratios and high parent involvement.
Locally driven economic development opportunities for entrepreneurs.
The “Can Do” tradition of rural community problem solving and volunteerism.

The Contributions of Vibrant Rural Communities are Irreplaceable!

You can make a difference. With your support, we can all help rural communities to be places where people want to live, work and raise their families in the 21 st Century.

The Grange sounds like an organization Blue Star Equiculture would be proud to join!

Friday Night Film

2009-05-08T22:32:00.004-04:00

In honor of our friend, Arvol Looking Horse, a selection from YouTube.

Arvol runs a non-profit organization, the Wolakota Foundation.

The term Wo-lakota means: peaceful, responsible and caring, a compassionate and generous people. Wolakota encourages people to step forward in recognizing the value of their own cultural roots and in so doing, reconnecting with the strengths and wisdom that all traditional cultures hold in common - our connection to each other and to the Earth.

Wolakota also runs a program called the "S'Unka Wakan Project," which much like Blue Star Equiculture, seeks to explore the mysterious connection between horses and humans.

Wolakota invites everyone to tatohiyatakiya--face the wind--together.

To face the wind is "to take a stand and accept responsibility; to embrace the challenges of the unknown and unseen, exploring both the canyons of the soul and as well as physical possibilities; to acknowledge the natural forces greater than ourselves which contain the power to create and destroy, and to share this understanding for the benefit of future generations; and to experience freedom."

In that light, the lyrics from Jethro Tull's "Heavy Horses" have an even more profound meaning.

Standing like tanks on the brow of the hill
Up into the cold wind facing
In stiff battle harness, chained to the world
Against the low sun racing
Bring me a wheel of oaken wood
A rein of polished leather
A heavy horse and a tumbling sky
Brewing heavy weather.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

2009-05-05T20:39:00.008-04:00

Thomas arrived at 1:30 am, May 5th, 2009!

After a few nibbles of hay, the scent of Mass. grass caught his attention. Bud and Mike greeted him at the gate and allowed Tom a good spot in the pasture.

Mike and Jesse were content with sharing a pile of hay.

Now all are friends!

Dutchess and Chyna (the B.A.M.s) are still best friends and are now confident while exploring the pasture.

Jesse has been shaved of his 'buffalo' winter coat and now sports a nice dappled black (of which Cupcake investigates.)

Karen's 12 future babies! A week ago, just 3 were found in our haybales. Now the eggs have been re-located next to the hay to prevent an untimely doomsday.

Madison, Mooch, Pete and Dakota were enjoying a light drizzle today.

Dakota especially enjoyed the ensuing mud.

Video: The Big Boys come to save me from the Cup Cake :-P

A metaphor for cultural metamorphosis

2009-05-03T22:36:00.009-04:00

There was a meadowbrook cart in the basement of our barn. It belongs to the landlords, who used to use it with their horses, but it had just been sitting under there, collecting dust. Kate, Glenn, James, Lindsey and Pam fixed it up last Friday.

Here's what happened, and what CAN happen with Blue Star Equiculture's larger mission.

The meadowbrook or our project to reconnect humans and horses with each other and with the earth... it's all part of the grand scheme...

When it was brought out into the light, we could see that it was covered in dust and dirt from years of being forgotten in the dark.

It was a little worse for wear--a few parts were missing or forgotten, but a bit of a brush off began to show what was underneath.

Once it was brought out into the light, people came together....

...the missing parts were brought and reunited...

With support and help, it was made whole again.

The grime of years of obscurity was washed clean.

The horses know what all this is about.

Ancient memory calls...

And insists upon the place of pride and honor.

Setting out on the road again.

Bringing along friends.

Making old knowledge new...and sharing it with others.

Going down a road we've been down before.

Something beautiful will bloom as we pass by...

And at last we'll find our way home again.

Quote of the Day

2009-04-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

"I have always contended that the substitution of the internal combustion engine for the horse marked a very gloomy milestone in the progress of mankind."
(Sir Winston Churchill)

(Horse watering trough in Monson, Massachusetts, with the author's internal combustion engine and a classic red internal combustion engine. The trough was placed in 1882 by W.N. Flynt and the street surrounding it is Fountain St.)

(Bud on Rt. 181, about to pass between the concrete abutments of the Hampden Railroad ("The Railroad That Never Was"). Our farm lies on the other side.)

(The same place on Rt. 181 in November of 1912.)

Happy Patriots' Day!

2009-04-20T22:48:00.000-04:00

Today marks the observance of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which opened the military hostilities of the American Revolution.

Yesterday (April 19th) was the actual anniversary, but in Massachusetts, Patriots' Day is observed on the third Monday of April.

April 19th also marks "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" (and William Dawes and others).

Now, as a bunch of Philadelphians who also have our ties to Massachusetts, we feel compelled to point out, however, that Paul Revere made a whole career out of riding around telling people things. Prior to the famous ride, Paul Revere had ridden all the way from Boston to Philadelphia to inform the First Continental Congress (whom Revere located at the City Tavern) that the British had closed Boston Harbor.

When it comes to the famous midnight ride, Paul Revere was just one of many alarm riders who were sent out to warn of British troop movements and threats of arrest towards the revolutionary leaders.

And implicit in all these riders and their "Midnight Ride" are of course the horses.

The National Lancers of the Massachusetts Militia reenacts The Ride every Patriots' Day.

(That's a nice looking gray Arab that "Paul Revere" rode last year, but nothing at all like a "Yankee" horse or Narragansett pacer that he probably rode.)

Friday Evening

2009-04-18T16:46:00.000-04:00

As with most days, Spike has a nice, comfy, dark, 'good' smelling nap location (Bud's harness), which I then must drag into the sunlight and deconstruct.

Poor Spike.

Felicia, whom works at the Burgendy Brook Country Store, stopped in with her two adorable children and her 'mother' for the everyone's first carriage ride!

Bringing Bees!

2009-04-15T21:10:00.000-04:00

Kate installed two hives on the farm today! Blue Star Equiculture now has approximately 8,000 bees in the hives to create honey, propolis, wax, royal jelly, more bees, and to aid pollination. We have two queen bees, each of which is very capable of laying around 1,500 eggs a day!

Below are pictures of Kate setting up the hives (she even brought food for our hungry busy bees!)

Watch a video of the transfer! Those bees sure do love their queen ;-)

Below is a picture captured today of Pamela grooming Bud before an evening carriage stroll (Pete and Dakota were out for a ride too.) Tla, Dakota and Madison are in the background.

In other farm news, the mid-paddock has flags on it's barbed-wire fence (you can see a few of the streaming strands in the picture above,) as well as part of the current cow-paddock. The 'pricker bushes' around the white fencing has been removed, and the grassy knolls have been raked of leaves (hopefully to start our compost pile!)

Thank you to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Community Service Program. They completed the above mentioned, as well as muck/strip our horse stalls (and rinse/refill water buckets) along with Omar and myself.

If anyone knows Steve Bakas, ask him if he got my e-mail :-)

Pretty Peggy-O

2009-04-14T19:24:00.001-04:00

(Click on the youtube video below for atmospheric music while reading about our baby girl.)

This is Donnybrook's Peg O' My Heart (aka "Peggy"). She is an eight-and-a-half month-old Irish Sporthorse who arrived at Blue Star Equiculture on April 9.

Peggy comes from exceptional Irish Sporthorse bloodlines. She was homebred by Timothy Doyle of Donnybrook Farms in Woodbury, Connecticut. Tim owns an Irish Sporthorse stallion, Donnybrook's Ellis Island, and two Irish Sporthorse mares, Donnybrook's Molly Maguire (Peggy's mom) and Donnybrook's Irish Lullaby.

Tim loves his horses and was devastated when Peggy was born on July 22, 2008 with a severe and potentially deadly salmonella infection. She was nothing but "skin and bones" from day one, and her entry into the world was marred by IVs, antibiotics and being unable to stand. Tim and his vet were able to get Peggy up and nursing, and much money and several months of care, Peggy was out of the woods from the salmonella. She still was underweight and, due to needing more nutrition, she was weaned from Molly early.

No sooner had Peggy gotten back on her feet again, so to speak, when bad luck struck again. The very first time Peggy was turned out after beating back the salmonella, Tim went out to bring her in, only to discover Peggy's tail "in pieces" all over the paddock. At first, it seemed Peggy had gotten caught on something, but when the vet came to try and save her tail, examination revealed what appeared to be bite marks on her hocks. It seems Peggy was attacked by a coyote or dog, who chewed her tail off. Despite the best efforts of all involved, Peggy's tail was unable to be saved.

Peggy now has no tail save a few hairs at her dock. She was bred to be like her siblings who excel in jumping and eventing. Without her tail, she will be unable to balance when she jumps, and may have difficulty performing dressage moves.

Tim has other horses to feed, and despite being very attached to Peggy (he practically hand-raised her), he cannot afford to keep her. Unfortunately, because of her "handicap," finding a home for her was difficult. He tried to place her with several other rescues but was turned away. He was at the point of considering euthanasia when he learned of Blue Star Equiculture.

On Thursday, April 9th, Peggy arrived at Burgundy Brook Farm in Palmer, MA. She is a beautiful baby girl. She still needs physical therapy to overcome some of the lasting effects of the salmonella, and is on weight-builder to rebuild her muscle mass. Tim and Blue Star Equiculture hope that Peggy will thrive at Equiculture, and can be trained as a harness horse, as well as interacting with the public. (Having little or no tail never stopped a carriage horse!)

Peggy has her bonafide draft horse credentials: Both her grandsires are Irish Draught Horses. (Her granddams are thoroughbreds.)

We are hope Peggy's run of bad luck has ended and she has finally found her lucky star...and that that Star is Blue!

Due to her lack of a tail and the lingering after-effects of the salmonella, she has some difficulty cantering, though she doesn't know it! She loves running with Cupcake! At least, until she gets tired--Cupcake can be a bit like the Energizer Bunny. Then, Peggy likes to hang out with her adopted great uncles, Bud, Mike and Jesse--our retired carriage horses. Maybe they can whisper a thing or two about being a carriage horse to her!

(Cupcake and Peggy playing, April 9, 2009)

__________________________________________________________________

About the music:

This is Simon & Garfunkel's version of "Pretty Peggy-O," a popular folksong about a member of the Irish Dragoons who falls in love with Peggy. Other versions exist by Bob Dylan and The Greatful Dead. I chose this version because of the lyrics:

As we marched down to faneri-o
As we marched down to faneri-o
Our captain fell in love with a lady like a dove
And they called her name, pretty Peggy-o

Come a runnin' down the stairs, pretty Peggy-o
Come a runnin' down the stairs, pretty Peggy-o
Come a runnin' down the stairs, combin' back your yellow hair
You're the prettiest little girl I've ever seen-o

In a carriage you will ride, pretty Peggy-o
In a carriage you will ride, pretty Peggy-o
In a carriage you will ride, with your true love by your side
As fair as any maiden in the ar-e-o

What will your mother say, pretry Peggy-o?
What will your mother say, pretty Peggy-o?
What will your mother say, when she finds you've gone away
To places far and strange to faneri-o?

If ever I return, pretty Peggy-o
If ever I return, pretty Peggy-o
If ever I return, all your cities I will burn
Destroying all the ladies in the ar-e-o
Destroying all the ladies in the ar-e-o

(Peggy getting the sniff-over by Dakota and Petey, and harrumphs from mares Madison and Mooch)

We hope Peggy gets used to the places far and strange here soon, and we look forward to the day in the future when in a carriage she will drive!

Unicorns really DO exist!

2009-04-14T18:43:00.002-04:00

(You just can't always see their horn.)

This is Mike. Mike is a retired carriage horse from 76 Carriage Company in Philadelphia.

He's a Percheron draft horse in his mid- to late-teens, who had to be retired because he has severe arthritis in his knees. He has virtually no sinovial fluid left in his knees, and he is violently(!) opposed to the vet trying to inject any more fluid or cortisone into them. This means that Mike sometimes has a hard time getting up when he lies down, and he repeatedly tried to remodel the barn in Philadelphia when he would get stuck.

So, Mike has to live outside now, and occasionally needs a push to get up in the morning.

He's been on turnout in Lancaster County since December, and just arrived at Blue Star Equiculture at 1:00 AM on Tuesday, April 6th.

He and Bud greeted each other like the old friends that they are. They also, like old friends who know each other well enough to disagree, have had some disputes over hay and attention--Mike proving that even with his bad knees, he can still buck and trot!

(Bud showing Mike how to live the retired life. Mike says laying down is not as easy as it looks.)

Cupcake is completely taken with the eminence grise that has moved in.

(Mike and Cupcake at the confluence of the Swift and Ware Rivers, April 8, 2009)

Mike seems to enjoy his new life of retirement, though he was a bit overwhelmed when Dakota, Petey, Bud, Cupcake and human friends took him on a walk down to the rivers--he wanted to stick as close as possible to his buddy Bud in the unfamiliar, scary alfalfa fields!

(Omar and Lindsey with Bud, Mike, and Cupcake, attempting to make a dent in Tom's acres of alfalfa.)

Burgundy Brook Farm - New Home of Blue Star Equiculture

2009-03-01T07:03:00.000-05:00

Pamela, Robin and Amber went to Burgundy Brook Farm yesterday to check out our new digs.

Here are a few photos.

The barn and carriage house.

The farm house.

Silo and workspace.

The barn is huge. There's room for 10,000 bales of hay.

The horse stalls downstairs. The boys will be spending most of their time outside, though.

Look at that pasture!

The road going into the farm fields.

View from the house of the paddock behind it.

There's a restaurant (Burgundy Brook Farm Country Store) that the farm surrounds. We look forward to the possibility of working with them.

(If you're driving by on Rt. 181, stop in and have a bite to eat.)

We'll be moving in the third week of March!

When We Farmed With Horses

2009-03-01T06:42:00.000-05:00

This wonderful documentary from 1978 shows horses at work, along with oral histories from the farmers who worked them.

(On YouTube, courtesy of Iowa State University's Special Collections.)

When We Farmed With Horses Part 1
WWFWH Part 2
WWFWH Part 3

The knowledge that these farmers and horses had is astounding.

We're still learning, and we can't wait to farm with horses ourselves.

Blue Star Equiculture

2009-02-25T23:15:00.000-05:00

Things are happening and are very exciting both in Philadelphia and up in western Massachusetts.

Thanks to the generosity of Sandy Walsh and her Blue Star Heritage Foundation, Blue Star Equiculture Draft Horse Rescue and Organic Farm is well on its way to becoming a reality.

Lease terms have been settled with the owners of Burgundy Brook Farm in Palmer, Massachusetts and we will be moving in the third week in March. We will have access to 149 acres, a 20-horse barn, office building and farm house.

Pam is going to moving the boys (Bud, Cupcake, Huey, Petey, Dakota, and Tela) and Omar and herself in then. Glenn has much work to do conditioning the soil to prepare it for planting. We hope to offer organics workshops by May.

There is so much going on right now as we start to file non-profit paperwork and start planning our fundraisers.

We have big plans and the future looks bright!

You can read about those plans on our website, http://www.equiculture.org/. The design of the website is temporary while Christina works on building a much more detailed website as our dreams become concrete reality.

Check back here on our blog for the latest updates, and join our mailing list below to receive our newsletters.