We passed this barn and paddock with the horses when my husband and I were cycling. I’ve seen horses at this farm previously but they’ve never been in the area near the road. I had to stop.
The old fence alone is reason to stop and look however. It looks like fences from years ago when you cut the wood yourself. In Newfoundland, people like my grandfather called this wood longers. No pressure treated lumber here just longers which are nature treated over time. One such fence was built on a plot of land in Summerside recently.
How many years has the fence been around this paddock? It has aged, looks ancient even and has so much character. It also does the job needed of any fence.
As I slowly approached, two of the horses walked away. However, the horse with the crescent on its forehead stayed.
It continued to eat, selectively picking its favourite morsels from among the ground cover. At one point it picked up a Queen Anne’s Lace with some grass but quickly dropped it. The lacy blooms are safe where the horses are concerned.
At one time, this farm had trotters for harness racing which is popular on Prince Edward Island and has a long history here. They ran in this paddock but these horses are much bigger than trotters. Are the days of harness racing over for this farm?
The barn is holding up well. With the horses and the old fence around the paddock this is an island farm setting which illustrates island culture and tradition.