Farm Blog

What could be better than hearing the sounds of happy children on a farm?
And there have been a lot of happy children at Folly Farms so far this summer! There are still two camp weeks remaining. When the children arrive early in the morning as the sun is just starting to light up the pastures, I think even the horses get a little excited. Each day brings something new to learn and some new fun to look forward to. And the adventure! When I think back to my childhood, I can only imagine how exciting it would have been to be dropped off at a farm early in the morning…knowing that I was going to be immersed in horses, green grass, and sunshine for several hours.

Each day of camp means a day in the outdoors, free of TV, video games, phones, and internet. Even free of air conditioning and, just for a little while, free from schedules. Experiencing this kind of freedom is a rare and wonderful thing for most children today.
There are many happy memories being made this summer on the farm.
~ Julie

One thing we can always count on in life is change….
Here at the farm the change of seasons is a beautiful transformation to witness. And it brings a feeling of comfort, because the changes are constant and the process returns every year. Leaves pop in bright green color, dogwoods bloom, horses shed, and grass needs trimming.

We are many times bogged down by life’s daily demands…work or school. Our children, through no fault of their own, especially find themselves caught up in our worldly stress. The seasons of nature unfolding on the farm is a living example to them that some things in life are constant. School, job, the economy, physical health, and even family life cannot bring the kind of consistency that the natural world, God’s love manifested in His creation, can bring. Even if just a glimmer at first, the joy of nature can be planted inside a child, to grow and grow and fully bloom one day into the realization of the complete miracle of life that it is.

I hope you get to enjoy the sunlight glimmering through the leaves at the farm this week! And the wild flowers, pink and white, blooming beside the old house, and watch horse hair floating away in the breeze as you brush a friend’s winter coat away.

Sunshine and warmth, green grass, little breeze going on…this was a good ’spring break’ kind of day. A lot of people were out at the farm enjoying it too.
We are all so blessed to have such a beautiful place to come and enjoy horses, a sense of community, friends, and nature.

Everything is GREEN GREEN GREEN! And the horses are lovin it.
Have you ever just sat and watched a horse eating grass? The way they “wiggle, wiggle, chew” has a definite rhythm. Their top lip and muzzle wiggles a couple times to sort out the blades of grass, and then they chomp to get the grass. Wiggle, wiggle, chew…. It goes on and on. Kind of fun to watch, and peaceful to catch a few moments of stillness on a pretty spring day. A highly recommended activity! Just grab a nice spot of grass to sit on, turn off your cell phone, and watch a horse.

Another farrier visited, so several horses had their hooves trimmed.
There are three different farriers coming to the farm now, so if you need one for your horse, ask around and get some opinions! The bulletin board in the barn aisle has several business cards up with farrier names and phone numbers too.

Despite the chill in the air, there were many folks out playing with horses today. A fire going in the lodge (thanks Becky and Shelly!) helped tremendously.
Vet and farrier visits made for a busy day.

This is exciting, blogging. I was talking to Muriel at the farm this evening, discussing how we can get f.a.i.t.h.’s mission out into the community and build awareness of what we do. (She has agreed to be on the Board of Directors, for which I’m very grateful!) And she said, “Do you blog?” “Nope,” I said, “Do you?” She replied, “No. . . but I read them!”
So, here we go.
We’ll start the blog with Muriel! Welcome to f.a.i.t.h.!! Muriel Taylor has non-profit organization experience, and works for Family Connection of South Carolina, which serves families of children with special needs. She will be around the farm some hopefully later this week, and get to meet many of our wonderful families and horses. Can’t wait for ya’ll to meet and get to know Muriel!