Today there are 12 horses in the fields, that is, if you consider 'Lil Bit of Honey and "Jonnie Quest" real horses. They look like horses, act like horses, and think big like horses, but 'Lil Bit and Jonnie are 36" and 34", respectively, and they won't be getting any bigger. No, they are NOT "p-o-n-i-e-s" (we don't say that word around them). They are mini-horses, the breed used for pulling West Virginia mine wagons many years ago. Meet the mini-horses.
Of the larger horses, there are three breeds: Arabians, Quarter Horses and one Thoroughbred, formerly of the Marriott stables. Five of them were born here on the farm. Meet our Arabians. Meet the other horses, our Quarter Horses and Thoroughbred.
Did you know that llamas like to touch noses with humans? Ours do, especially the two guys (Pablo's Pixar and Cappy's High Noon) who participated in lots of shows in the first 18 months of their lives. Many of our visitors are boasting: "I was kissed by a llama at Mountain Quest." These same two guys spent 18 months raising MQI Mountain Quest himself! That's right, these two llamas were pastured with our first little Arabian as he was weaned. The result? A calm, curious young horse who exhibits identifiable llama behavior! Meet Pixar and Noony.
Our older llama friend who has captured the hearts of children and meditators alike is Ella. Four years ago Ella flayed on the ice and lost the use of the lower part of her back legs. She still gets around by crawling, scooting and rolling. Ella spends a great deal of time just reflecting, that is, when her pet sheep named Clover isn't bothering her. See Ella and Clover.
Often sharing pasture with Pixar and High Noon are two Boar goats. When it's feeding time you can hear their sounds quite loudly. Did you know that goats cannot eat any grain? They have special food pellets that keep them happy and healthy. Click here to meet the goats.
The four Longhorn cattle on the farm are out of the Butler Breed, which was rescued from extinction by Teddy Roosevelt in 1927. Three thousand dollars was designated by Congress in order to ensure the preservation of the Butler Breed. Two Forest Service Rangers were sent to round up a group of Longhorns and set up a wild life refuge in southern Oklahoma, literally saving the blood line from extinction. This process took seven years and several thousand miles and resulted in 19 cows and one bull, about the same size as the Mountain Quest herd. Today the Texas Longhorns are coming back into their own as the demand for low-fat, high protein meat increases in response to soaring American diet needs. Of course, the four cows on the farm are pets.
Our special girl in the herd is Charlotte, who was born a runt and bottle-fed by the Mountain Quest team. She is living a good life now, with lots of grass, hay and grain in the winter, and friends to keep her company. Click here to see the Longhorn cattle.
No farm family is complete without barn cats, and Mountain Quest is no exception! Among the family is good old Tom (multi-colored) who probably is the daddy of dozens of the cats that have passed through Mountain Quest and moved on to good homes. We currently have five barn cats on the farm. Click here to meet the cats.
