Café Au Lait

Crysta and I are planners, decisions are well thought out from every angle and executed as discussed…. But every once and a while we go off the rails.

Day 1 of the Mt.Hope Amish auction went mostly to plan. We started our new farm with a babydoll sheep, Cheesecake. She was short, cute, fluffy, and everything we were hoping to find in our first sheep. Now we just needed to find some more! We were being pretty picky and there weren’t that many babydoll sheep at the auction, so we had ended up with only one…. Not much of a flock. Cheesecake would need a friend.

Day 2 of the auction we arrived late in the afternoon, and most of the selling was already complete. Both sets of grandparents (old alpaca farmers and city grands who are not used to farm animals) and our kids were with us this time. It was to be more of a show and tell trip than a buying mission. We discussed getting a small donkey to protect cheesecake and her future flock if the price was right. As we walked into the arena they were selling a pair of waist high ponies being lead by children and pulling a carriage. We went back to the holding areas to see the animals, and before we knew it they were leading the last of the animals to the arena to be sold. We quickly went back to the front and I asked everyone, how would you feel about a pony? Seemed like everyone was on board, not sure if they thought I was serious. Our threshold was $700. A beautiful appaloosa pony stallion was the first that came in, tempting, but I didn’t bid. Next was a painted mare, “Broke to ride and drive and pregnant” bred to the stallion that we just saw.

For those that have never bid on anything at a live auction I highly recommend trying it. The following occurred in maybe 10 seconds max:

I thought the bid was in the high hundreds “Did you hear what they said?” I ask Crysta. She repeats “Broke to Ride and Drive and Pregnant”…. I meant the price. Knowing I missed out on some sheep the previous day by bidding too late, I throw up my hand to keep the bid going. My family looks at me in disbelief. That’s ok, I think, I was just keeping the bid going, so I could hear the price. The auctioneer focuses his attention on the other side of the room, sounds like the bids moved on to $1000. Ok, looks like it’s too high. Guess that’s it for this year at the auction. He turns back points to me and says “SOLD for $1200”

I had bid exactly once, and we had bought ourselves a pony. Everyone is a bit in shock. We knew nothing about raising horses or ponies… but we were about to learn. And we had google on our side, anyway.

We went back to the holding areas and had some trouble finding her. It had happened so fast we didn’t even know her ID number until we paid and they told us.

I later called the farm she came from… some liberties had been taken by the auctioneer with her description. We found out she was about 4 years old and had been “in the same pasture as the stallion”. She was allegedly broke by a previous owner, but had been out to pasture for 1.5years.

That’s alright , we’ve learn a lot about auctions and she’s ours now. She has certainly become part of the family… and (after an expensive vet visit and blood test) SHE IS IN FACT PREGNANT due in May 2023 as best we can tell.

P.S. Hello, Crysta here to shine some light on “asking everyone, how would you feel about a pony?” as Lucas mentioned above. I don’t remember it going quite the same way. First, if you’ve never been to an exotic animal auction you really do need to try it out. Its exactly like you see in the movies- loud, busy, exciting- but mix in also a little chaotic, incredibly loud, and confusing, especially if you are one of the new kids. And, we were definitely the new kids.

So, Lucas was right: as we walked through the back (a 2 yr old, 3 yr old, and one set of grands in tow) we realized that nearly all of the animals had already been auctioned. We learned the day before how quickly things move at Mt. Hope- so we started to hustle back to the auction ring around front. Now, here is where the retelling of this story starts to differ a little bit…

My wonderful husband absolutely books it to the ring with our daughter (3). I am however, not quite so fast, towing along our son (2) and trying to keep my (thoroughly city) parents from getting lost or pecked by an angry ostrich. Understandably, I fell behind and the two of us got separated. I wasn’t worried, all the sheep were sold and I seriously doubted we were actually about to buy a donkey- so I wasn’t concerned about missing a couple sales. But I should have been.

As I step through the door to the auction ring I vaguely comprehend the sale that’s happening- a stunning appaloosa stallion- but it was not my focus. I was too busy trying to find Lucas and Lore, keep Koda from grabbing strangers, and not lose the city folk. Its then I see Lucas at the bottom of the stairs just a little ways away. The next auction is starting as I push past the crowd to walk up right next to him. As I walk up he says something to me but I cant hear a word he’s saying. “What?” I respond, and like a comedy bit out of a movie he turns to me and says “Huh?”. “I cant hear you!” I yell back as he turns and yells “WHAT DID HE SAY?”. I responded “THE PONY IS BROKEN AND PREGNANT”. He hurriedly shushes me as we hear the auctioneer say “going once, going twice, sold, congratulations son!” and to my absolute shock, he points at us.

Suffice it to say I was a little bit in disbelief and as giddy as a little girl who just got, well…a pony. Since bringing our sweet girl Café home Lucas and I have been thrilled with having her around. She is gentle and sweet but had a serious sass about her as well. As you read above she is, in fact, pregnant. So, ill be giving her a little grace until she has some time away from the hormones. In the mean time, she has been a glorious addition to our farm and our family. Nothing is better than driving by her pasture and hearing our children exclaim “My pony Café!” with wide smiles on their faces. I have said to Lucas more than once that I feel certain that God was in the timing of that day at the auction. We didn’t plan to go in and get a pony. But I think he planned sending us in there to take her home.