Saturday, March 10, 2012

Living on a Horse Ranch


Hello!
I hope you are all enjoying your weekend!
My husband is a horse trainer and we have moved over 20 times our married life....
We have even lived in beautiful Japan, where my daughter Nicole was born....
We have lived in many different types of homes.... even in a barn....
 Each home we lived in we tried to make the best of it no matter what type of house it was.



We have been fortunate to have lived on this beautiful 50 acre horse ranch for over eight years now, 
it is the longest we have ever stayed in one place....
We couldn't feel more blessed to be able to raise our kids here....
(We do not own the ranch, my husband is the horse trainer and breeding manager for the ranch.)
I wanted to share a few images I shot of babies that were born on the ranch this past week....


This foal is only two days old in the above images.....
They are so darn cute....


My husband and I raise a small number of show cattle.
My kids show cattle, and so we decided to start raising our own.
My husband also grew up on a cattle ranch in Montana, his family raises registered simmental cattle.


This is a picture of our calf that was born this last week....
The cow is a registered Maine-Anjou....
My husband didn't choose this breed for that reason though : )

On another note....
My amazing sister is expecting her 10th child, and her due date was on the 8th....
We are all anxiously waiting for her little one to arrive!
Enjoy your weekend!
Take Care,
Maria

76 comments:

Chic Coles said...

This post made our day. It is a breath of spring. So sweet all their little faces.

Olive + White said...

Oh my goodness the factor of cuteness in this post is like a thousand! Beautiful pics!

tinajo said...

Beautiful pics! Wow, 10 kids - that is something! :-)

Anonymous said...

Very beautiful pictures. They are amazing animals and so beautiful at that.

Norrfrids Eija said...

Breathtakingly cute babies! Juuuust love your post today!
Eija

Sandi @ The Primitive Skate said...

What a wonderful post. Your pictures are so Beautiful. What wonderful animals. Thanks for sharing.

Shanon at Vintage Sparkle Chic said...

I grew up on a Morgan horse farm in Vermont (I live in Colorado now) and it was soooo fun to see your sweet foal. I always loved it when we had new babies!
Good luck for your sis, I hope she doesn't have to wait too much longer!

~Shanon

Divina Chita Brasil said...

beautiful place !beautiful pictures !

toves sammensurium said...

Beautiful pictures,beautiful animals,beautiful surroundings.You seem to live my Dream life:)
Tove:)

Jacqueline~Cabin and Cottage said...

How wonderful to see your farm. Thes are delightful animal photos! My best to your amazing sister!

Anonymous said...

Oh Maria, you are so fortunate!!~
I adore horses and would love to have my boys around them all of the time!
Your photos are simply beautiful, the first one I think is my favorite!!
Congratulations on your soon to be new family member, that's so exciting.
Have a lovely weekend.
Sincerely,
Melinda

Steph. :) said...

Maria I would LOVE to hear more about your life on the ranch! Just this morning I was looking at my Romantic Prarie Home for some refence for a white paint, and I looked at the photos of your home and ranch.

I especially love that first shot. Horses are so beautiful.

Tracie~MyPetiteMaison said...

Beautiful creatures, Maria. So good to see them living a kind life.

I feel the same way about where we live, such a blessing!

Good wishes from up North in Wine Country!
~Tracie

Lars John Anderson said...

Thanks for sharing these Maria!! I dream of adding cows, horses, and even pigs to our lil homestead. (so far we only have chickens.. and kids!!) LOL

Hope you're having an awesome weekend :)
xoHeather

Terri Smith said...

Beautiful Photographs! Especially The Foal. Made My Entire Weekend!

Unknown said...

E' tutto così meraviglioso! Mi piacciono i cavalli e ho sempre desiderato vivere in un ranch!!!!
It is all so beautiful! I like horses And i always wished to live in a borse ranch!!!!!Ciao Raffaella

sharon santoni at my french country home said...

Hi Maria

I often stop by to your beautiful blog but don't usually comment, but today I just have to say how lovely your pictures are. These ones of course, in such fantastic light but the pictures you take indoors as well are always stunning. Thank you!
Hae a lovely weekend
Sharon

Andrew McAllister said...

That makes me want to go for a walk in a pasture! Wonderful! And the hyphenated cow breed name ... is that related to the state of Maine, then?

Saras stove said...

Thank you so much for always sharing such beautiful pictures with us! Your life sounds quite exciting! Love the pictures of the animals!

Julia said...

Maria, your pictures are gorgeous!! My sister showed/trained paints with a guy by the name of Gary Baldwin for years...such fun and great memories:). How exciting for all of you and your sister's family! 10 kids is sooo wonderful:).

Have a lovely day.

~Julia

Bente said...

This post was so great. Just love the horses. Beautiful animals.

Hugs Bente

Anonymous said...

You all must feel so blessed to live around such beauty. I wish my boys would have been able to go out the front door and play with a horse or a cow!

Your life does sound dreamy...although I'm sure it comes with a lot of hard work. And I love your outlook on making your home special no matter what type it is or where it is. That's why I love to visit you through this blog! :)

Happy Weekend ~
Sarah

Servies en Brocante said...

10 kids? my god haha..that most be very cosy and homely with her.
Lovely pictures, in a few weeks we get our pup,,cant wait :D
Greets
Sanne
www.serviesenbrocante.nl

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

I hope your sister didn't see that you mentioned all the animal babies before her 10th baby. :-)

Vintage Home said...

Congratulations on your sisters newest soon to be baby!
oh what wonderful images...baby animals are the sweetest cutest things...our daughter has a horse & @ the farm we are waiting for the calves soon!
I just want to hug that calf!
Such dreamy eyes!
Enjoy the weekend!

Little Leslie said...

Wow, what a life. I envy you! I've always loved horses. When i was a teen, i rode every weekend. I didn't own a horse, but lived in an area surrounded by hills and stables. My more well off friends belonged to the California Rangers, a youth riding org.
Maria, these pictures are fabulous. What a great learning experience for the kids. One more thing, a couple of weeks ago, a show about the real horse whisperer was on TV. What a great man, and a great show. I hope you saw it too.
Take care,
Leslie

Anne said...

You are truly blessed.What beautiful animals.Best wishes to your sister.

Katherine said...

Just look at those sturdy little legs on that baby! What is it about baby animals that sends us all to mush.
Great photo's.

Deborah said...

Oh sweet babies they are!
What a joy it must be to like where you are.
Beautiful!
And on her 10th child? Wow, I have a friend who has had as many too...shes a beautiful, gentle spirit and how blessed a family they are!
Blessings to you Maria!

Deborah :)

Sabine said...

What a beautifull pictures. You have an amazing home, and you are truly blessed to live in an environment like that. Love your blog! Sabine

ALEXandra said...

Beautiful pictures !!

Villa Vildnis Vintage said...

WOW you're so lucky to live in such a vivid and life-confirming place. Look at those beautiful animals - I'm a former horsegirl and wow can I miss the stable-life and the great nature when taking a ride in the forrest. I live in the country myself and luckily my neighbors have horses, so I can just look out of my window and see the horses running around.

great post!

Lilla Majken said...

Wonderful, love your pictures.

Hugs Therese

Shabby chic Sandy said...

Those pictures are beautiful! What sweet animals. A 10th child? I can't even imagine. Good luck to her!

Amy Chalmers said...

I loved seeing these baby animals in their home setting on your ranch Maria. I was surprised when you said your sister was having her tenth child, not too many people have big families anymore~but big families are the best!

Anne Lorys said...

Oh my, those are the sweetest things I've ever seen!
What a beautiful life you lead, my friend! :-)

Hugs,
Anne

Michele M./ Finch Rest said...

Stunning.

All of it.

But you REALLY got me about your sister expecting her TENTH! child.

Stunning.

Lovely post.

Emma said...

Hello...long time reader, first time commenter :)
I am a 'farmers wife' but we are trying to still find our true home. We have managed a few properties for absentee owners and will probably be in farm management long term rather than have our own property. I was just wondering as 'staff' on the ranch how you can do so much to your house? This is something I've struggled with as any homes we've had have never really been ours :(

A New England Life said...

Such delightful images! I enjoyed every single one of them. The light around that little foal is amazing.

Nice to hear a little background on your family, too.

10 kids! 2 was all I could handle. You and your sister must be very well organized, unlike myself. Wishing you a wonderful Sunday, Maria : )

Sharon

Bethany said...

Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures. You are so brave with such a beautiful farm house and white! I struggle with animals and but still wanting to keep the home bright and airy...any tips?

Bethany (Rustic Silk)

Carolyn@Sweet Chaos Home said...

What a beautiful place to raise your family! And, how special to have these beautiful animals in your backyard. I'm seriously amazed by your life... how do you homeschool 5 children, raise cattle, blog, take gorgeous photos, keep a beautiful house? I need to take lessons from you :)

Wendy said...

Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos of life on your farm. Hope all is well with your sweet sister. ♥

SLR said...

the light in the first photo is just incredible...jaw dropping! i so enjoyed the other photos as well...love these sweet animals. congrats on being a 10-time Auntie!

Fairfield House said...

Maria!

I love learning things about people that make you feel closer to them, more endearing. I was a 'barn rat' growing up! We had horses. I showed and when I got older, gave lessons. What a beautiful foal and calf. (Sighs) Wish we were neighbors.

Your Friend,
Deborah

Unknown said...

Oh you are so living my dream! I adore horses and have always wanted to live on a horse farm. Beautiful photos of the wee foal and dam :) xo K

...the yorkshire fox... said...

...such stunning photos...you've captured all that is good about life...10th child wow!...Mel :)

Tulla and Catie said...

Sounds like an interesting life there on the ranch, love your photos of the animals, especially the one of the calf :-). Wow, 10th child! I have already been amazed by 5 children, but 10 that is really admirable! How do you manage this?
Greetings from Barbara

kråke said...

Love...love your pictures:))

Have a beautiful day:))

smiles...

Kråke

Leena Milligan Lanteigne said...

That baby horse is so sweet but, as a cow lover, the baby calf just makes my heart melt! What a doll! I hope that all goes well with your sister's baby's arrival! Hope to see pics of the new little one soon! Hugs, Leena

Rebecca said...

Simply magical photos - it reminds one of the simple joy and beauty of life. Best wishes to your sister, how wonderful for her to be blessed with such a large family. Becks x

Denise said...

Thank you for sharing the beautiful photos. Best wishes to your sister.

Jennifer said...

Maria you are so lucky. The pictures are breath taking. Spring is full of new, birth & hope. Thanks for the reminder. I needed it. Many blessings to your family, and your sister for an easy delivery! Congrats on the upcoming newest baby!

martinealison said...

Merci pour l'ensemble des ces merveilleuses photos... Elles me font du bien... La pureté et l'innocence de ces magnifiques animaux me chamboulent... Vous êtes dans le juste en vivant proche de la nature...
J'espère que la naissance de ce futur bébé se déroulera bien... J'attends la naissance de mon deuxième petit-enfant, une petite fille prévue pour le 10 avril...
Un gros bisou à vous.

Janna Lufkin said...

The pictures are beautiful Maria. Nothing cuter than new babies out in the spring green pastures.

Anonymous said...

LOVELY PICS:) I really like your blog..so much nice inspiration.
I wish you a great week:)

LOVE Maria at inredningsvis.se
(Sweden)

~Damita's Pretty Wrap~ said...

The babies are sooo cute and adorable! I've had horses since I was in 3rd grade, they've always been a huge part in my life, love them so much, they give so much back to us. :) Have a lovely day~

~Damita's Pretty Wrap~ said...

The babies are sooo cute and adorable! I've had horses since I was in 3rd grade, they've always been a huge part in my life, love them so much, they give so much back to us. :) Have a lovely day~

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

OH, LOVED seeing all the photos of all those sweet animal babies. New life is always amazing, even furry ones :) :) I'll be praying that your sister has a smooth delivery :) :) Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather ;)

Think, Wonder, and Teach said...

I am so jealous! My husband and I grew up in a small town near a few ranches and would love to live on one again or own one! Some day but it is still a dream.

Misty
Think, Wonder, & Teach

Debbie said...

I miss the days on our little farm when the calves were born, and the mares would birth the foals. Our kids loved being in the barn with all the babies.
Your pictures are wonderful, Maria!!!
Enjoy your weekend.
xxoo

Ivy said...

Absolutely stunning images! Just gorgeous! Thank you for sharing them with us. I always enjoy your posts! xo

Susan said...

Beautiful! That foal is absolutely precious! Such long legs!

La Dolfina said...

So sweet Maria!
Congrats to your amazing sister too!
Love your photo on the sidebar!
xO

Unknown said...

Your amazing and beautiful pictures of the baby animals are my favorite reasons why i love Spring. I would just love to live on a ranch and be around the land and the animals. Specially horses for they are my favorite. I so enjoyed your post. Thank you for sharing a glimpse of your life. I'm also enjoying your extremely creative blog!
visit me when you get a chance :)
http://findyoursparkle.blogspot.com/

Rie said...

Hi Maria! We have more in common than I originally thought... the longest we have stayed in one place is 4 years. Congrats on being grounded. LOL We truly hope where we are now will be the final one. Thankfully, it has been such a pain (literally!) that we wouldn't want to repeat it. :)

'Inga' said...

Lovely blog!
Your horse and cow pictures are awesome!

Needless to say you have a new follower!

Bye!

Rebecca Lewis said...

Aw - love the babies. Missing them this year since my parents sold all their beef cows last summer. Thank you for sharing yours :)

Mary Lou said...

Beautiful photos! We were military for 29 yrs and have moved 30 times but not always beautiful!

Stephanie said...

These are the sweetest photos...I've always wanted to witness a foal being born. Maybe someday. And while the subjects are lovely, you really do know how to handle that camera of yours! Gorgeous photography.

Julie @ followyourheartwoodworking said...

What beautiful photos. Please post more of the horses and cows and the ranch... wow!

Noble Vintage said...

We just passed through Nor Cal and enjoyed some of the beautiful countryside. I was smitten with all the Swiss Jersey :) I wonder if we passed your neck of the woods....

Janae said...

I wish I could lived on a horse ranch. I love animals so much, your photos are wonderful.

Rodger Ciliberto said...

You are so lucky to have found that ranch. It’s so beautiful! I’m kind of thinking of taking a vacation on a ranch so that I can also experience the peace and quiet. By the way, your pictures are great.

Anonymous said...

Hi Maria,

Your pictures are beautiful. Thank you for sharing them. So are the products in your online store. I have been thinking about something for a long time, and this may come as a strange request to you, but you seem to have some knowledge in this area. I am a college educated woman living on the East Coast, but realize the suburban life outside of a big city is not ideal. I lived on a small farm in europe. I pine for a bit more country, and a life on a working farm. I would love my children to be able to have other caring working men and women and familes around, and be able to help, learn and grow with animals and other people instead of in a suburb. Someplace where they could help and learn from others, when they are not involved in their studies. I do not need financial assistance, but could pay rent to live there, and could even work there myself. Is any such thing possible? You seem to have some knowledge in this area. Someplace that is a safe area and also has good schools. Thank you so much. I appreciate and and all thoughts you may have to offer. Stephanie 703.505.1330.

Darren Lanphere said...

Living in a ranch will never be boring. Right Maria? Raising animals is a fun thing to do. It is fulfilling when you see them grow healthy and strong. Eventually, they become a part of the family. Being in ranch promotes a healthier lifestyle too. Isn’t it wonderful to have an early morning jog in ranch? Plus, you can relax anytime, away from the busy urban streets!

Unknown said...

Your experience with different types of houses must’ve widened your outlook in house living. But is it safe to assume that the particular period when you were living in a ranch, has a special place in your heart? There’s nothing really wrong living with animals. Life is actually simpler with companions you know are always by your side. Plus, the place itself is enough to always feel contented on what you have. :)

Rodger Ciliberto