Dreaming of Spring …

With such a warm winter the Daffodils have now burst forth and are contrasting beautifully with the already lush green fields.

Several new arrivals to report; two early calves, both with clearly defined “belts” from their father; the belted Galloway Bull called “Pop” (short for Popacatapetal – regular blog readers will remember that all the Holwell “alpha males” are named after Volcanos).

We have also got a “free range” calf that was born before Christmas who was looking a bit “peaky” so we brought him out from the rest of the herd and he has now teamed up with the donkeys and is roaming around the farm quite happily. A visiting guest had the opportunity to christen him, so he is now fondly known as “Arnold”.

A quite unexpected new arrival to the equine team came in the form of the return to Holwell of Liverton Lass, or “Liffy”. She is now 18 and after failing to get her in foal 2 years ago, remained at stud to keep a rather smart Connemara Stallion company through the Winter. On further inspection when it came time to bring the stallion back in for the 2007 covering season, it was discovered that the mare was not as barren as first thought and is now due to have a foal imminently.

The first batch of pedigree Dartmoor Pony yearlings will be ready for sale in the Spring. All have wintered well considering the wet weather, but the warmth has meant there has been more grass than past years. They are all the spit of their father who has “stamped” them well – the only problem is telling them apart. If you would like more information on buying one, please call; 01647 221335; they really are gorgeous and would make a perfect first child’s pony as their temperament is excellent and their looks are ideal for showing too.

In preparation for our first season of “Hawking on Horseback” from Holwell, we have now welcomed Lynus the “Hawk Horse” to the farm. So laid back he is horizontal, Lynus is not phased at all when an 8 foot wing span Golden Steppe Eagle lands on his rider’s arm. This is a really exciting prospect and we are looking forward to our first hunting forays.

Talking of the latter, the South Devon Hunt have had some cracking outings around Holwell recently and accounted for a huge dog fox last week; just as well as we lost our Gander to him the night before. Geese mate for life and the two distraught females left behind have been visibly traumatised watching their “hubby” dragged off whilst trying to protect them. We are introducing another later today so fingers crossed they can all get along together. Such a shame as they had just started laying in readiness for a Spring clutch of goslings too.

We have now had a few hunting trips with the Eagles and Harris Hawks up at Holwell and I must admit they do look so at home up here. Watching the Eagles picking up the thermals and spiralling up higher and higher in the sky has been mesmerising. The Harris Hawks are also now being regularly flown through the woods in our copse to break down the crows nests before they get too established. We really must pull out all the stops this year to help the Lapwings get their young hatched and fledged.

At Holne Chase we have been thrilled to finally receive back from the printers yesterday the new brochure and DVD. It has been a number of years since our last brochure and the photography and footage of the new package is fantastic. You can download from the website; http://www.holne-chase.co.uk/ or ring for one to be sent to you; 01364 631471. Various new changes and improvements there so far this year include a “Massage and Treatment” suite. This will be up and running from Easter offering a range of options to really help guests to unwind, relax and enjoy a pampering session.

More and more guests to both Holwell and Holne Chase are now starting to order their meat from our new box scheme on a regular basis. With free delivery anywhere in the UK, this is such a convenient way to secure fresh, quality, traceable meat from Dartmoor. For more information, visit http://www.holwelldartmoor.co.uk/ and click on “Tor to Tor” or phone; 07976 535078.

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