Mushka

Meet Mushka.

If you have been following the Amish Horses Blog, you know I lost my horse named Karma a few months ago. Karma's full-sister Karla grazed our pasture alone most of the summer. I visited quite a few Amish farms in my area looking for a new horse, but it wasn't meant to be. My Amish neighbors let me know that good horses are in short supply at this time.

I don't know much about this beautiful white horse. The man who brought her from Wisconsin to the Kalona Sale Barn gave some vague information about her. First of all, when I asked about her name, he just said, "I call her Girl or Babe, whatever is easiest." Apparently, she has had a number of homes and her name got lost along the way.

He mentioned that she spent some of her fifteen years on an Amish farm, and had been used as a "Produce Horse." He asked, "Do you know what that means?" He then explained that Amish girls had used her to pull a walking plow in their large garden. He also thought that on some occasions one sister would ride the horse holding a bag while another handed produce up.

You can see ears pinned back. Horses communicate with body language. Karla is making sure this new horse knows that she owns the barn. They are warming up to each other slowly. 

Whenever a horse comes through a sale barn without much history it makes the buyer wonder why. Maybe someone reading this blog will recognize her and contact me with more information. In the meantime, I chose to buy her because she seemed absolutely gentle and friendly. 

We decided to give her the name Mushka. (Pronounced with a moo) We have a family friend from Bosnia with that name and we always thought it sounded beautiful. Our friend spells her name Musca but I felt people would likely mispronounce it. My little granddaughter approves of Mushka. She has enjoyed petting her many times already.

 Mushka photographs well. I was looking for a black horse to match Karla, but when I met this white beauty I couldn't resist bringing her home. I personally feel they look attractive together.

At one time, I calculated how many horses I've owned in my lifetime, I need to do it again. I think Mushka is number 35.