As an historical ficiton author, I usually spend the month of April blogging about the Civil War. It is, after all, the month it all began (1861) and ended (1865). But whether it was the hard winter we had, or the fact that I seem to have very little time on my hands to write, I’ve been spending every spare moment outside.

After writing a magazine piece about nearby Hanover Shoe Farms, I decided to take a drive and share some pictures with readers of what, to me, is the surest sign of spring. This year, the farm is expecting 418 foals, and the fields will soon be filled them. Since the first ones are born in January and the last ones in June, they are separated in the fields by age (no bullying aloud).

When I worked in Hanover, I used to drive out of my way to go by the fields after a hard day’s work. There is no way you can pass by these pastures and paddocks without smiling!

For those who are not familiar with Hanover Shoe Farm, they breed Standardbred horses – the type that pulls a sulky. In addition to the youngsters, Hanover Shoe takes retired race horses and gives them the same level of care that their multi-million dollar mares receive.

The foaling barns, stallion barns and breeding sheds are also open to the public. For more info, visit http://www.hanoverpa.com/.

Happy Spring!

Jessica James