Horses, like people, have own unique personalities

The girls in the pasture at Hickory Lane Horse Farms, Ralls County, Mo. Photo contributed by Donna Hudson.

MARY LOU MONTGOMERY

Donna Hudson raises quarter horses on her small farm four miles south of New London, and she has learned to identify and respect the horses for who they are.

“They are kinda like people. Everybody has different personalities and that’s the way the horses are.

“One is a little flighty. If something moves, she spooks then she runs, but she’s also very, very curious. She snoops around at everything, but she scares easily.

“One is calm and relaxed and she loves to be brushed and petted. Nothing much bothers her.

“One is really bossy, but she loves to be brushed, too. 

“One is like: ‘I kind of like you, but I’m not sure I like you that much.’ She will come in and wants to eat supper and lets me pet on her, but that’s it. ‘Pet me then let me alone.’

“I have seven right now; all fillies and mares, bred to the same sire. Two are pregnant.

“They have a pecking order, my husband, Adam said.

“It makes it interesting, who is going to do what on what days.”

Wanted a horse

Donna, when growing up, was that little girl who always wanted a horse. At first she lived in Perry, then her family moved to Paris, Mo. Most of her friends, who lived in the rural area, had horses, but Donna never did.

That all changed after she married Adam Hudson, who had horses all of his life. For their tenth anniversary, Adam gave her two brood mares.

“So I did a lot of research, studied pedigrees, and decided what I wanted to raise. I started from there.

“I think everybody that breeds wants to have the next Secretariat, or great horse.

“For me, it comes down to the people I sell to. I have had people from Pennsylvania and Florida, California, Canada, Tennessee, Kentucky and quite a few in Missouri.

“The communication with people in different states, making them happy, and to see what the horse has meant to them. That’s the best thing in the world to raising and selling horses.”

Learning curve

Raising the horses has been a learning process, to be sure.

“I have an amazing couple that has taken me under their wing; Dawn and Bruce Smith, they own Lone Cedar Tack and Stables in Hannibal. I breed to their stallion. They guided me through breeding and selling, the whole business. I appreciate everything they have done for me.”

Donna breeds her mares once a year, to give birth in the spring. Horses have an 11-month gestation period, she said.

“Adam built a nice barn, with nice stalls. We bring them in every night to feed them.

Foaling

When it comes time for the mares to foal, they usually go off to the pasture alone. “On the most part, mares will go in the pasture and they have it themselves and don’t have any issue. They come in and eat that night, I’m very very blessed with that.

Then, “All the rest of the horses like to go see the baby. That makes mom nervous, Adam will help me with the baby and mom, making sure mom stays up on her feet. The first couple of days she’s standoffish with everybody wanting to see the baby.”

Donna started breeding mares in 2010, and during that time, she has only actually seen the mares give birth twice. “Very seldom have we had any with issues.”

But, of course, sometimes there are issues. “I had one that had twins last year, all three died; that was a bad deal. Twins and horses is not a good idea. The mare didn’t make it, rough year. I had had her for 14 years.”

Newborns

“I work with the babies,” Donna said. “They are so fun. It just lights up my world.

From day one I pet and mess with their ears, feet, the other nine yards, so they are people friendly when ready to be sold. I have the best time with the babies.

“They run and they buck and they jump, and (once they) get started, they will run from one end of the pasture of the other. They nuzzle each other; they are fun to watch.”

“I try to sell them when they are six months old, that’s when they wean. It’s easier to sell at that age, to wean and sell, it’s best to do it all at once.

“Facebook has been a really good market place for me,” she said. "I have a website, ‘Equine Now.’” The name of Hudsons’ farm is Hickory Lane Horse Farms.

People friendly

Their driveway is right on the blacktop road. “When people come up the driveway,  they (the horses) are super friendly; they love attention. That’s the way I like them.”

Adam and Donna have eight grandchildren, plus nieces and nephews. When they visit, “they always like to go out and see the horses, and pet them.

“The girls especially like the horses, but they aren’t quite old enough to ride. I have an inkling that a couple of them mighty actually be inclined to do that.”

Firstborn

The first colt she sold went to Canada. Their veterinarian was familiar with the paperwork needed for the international transaction, and Adam and Donna had their passports on hand, just in case.

 “We drove him to the Canadian border, straight there and straight back.”

“That was quite the experience, for first time selling a baby from our farm. That was our first colt; we just kinda took off from there.”

Subsequently, “We’ve delivered to Kentucky, Tennessee, southern Missouri and to Illinois.” But for the most part, their delivery days are behind them. 

“My truck has a lot of miles on it. At my age, and the age of my truck, we’ve stopped delivering.”

“A lot of people come and get them; or they have shippers, individuals who will have a trailer and they do that for a living. Like they live in Arkansas but they pick up livestock from Tennesseee and deliver to Wyoming for a fee. You can look up those people on Facebook. They are rather expensive. Some people have their own trailers, and will take off over a week and come pick them up. If it is somebody I really, really like, being as I’m a softie, and want to help, we can meet them halfway. We do have a trailer.”

But for the most part, “my days of delivering horses are probably in the past,” she said.

Apple heritage

Adam Hudson was featured in this column in August 2025, spotlighted for continuing his family’s tradition of raising (Fette) apples.

Ironically, he feeds the less desirable apples to Donna’s horses, then later uses the horse manure to fertilize his apple trees.

Lifespan

You can breed a horse, “depending on how well the mare is taken care of,” up until they are in their mid to late 20s.

Donna has a special horse on her farm that she bred up until she was 24. “I still have her, but I don’t breed her. She was an awesome mare and an awesome mom. She has a forever home here.”

“Adam had a horse that was 36, that was the oldest we’ve had here. We ground hay and food; it took a lot to keep him going.”

Christine Guthrie, right, and her baby are pictured with Skippa Sunfrost at C Horse Stables in Jeanetta, Pa. Skippa Sunfrost was purchased from Donna Hudson at Hickory Lane Horse Farms in rural New London. Photo contributed by Donna Hudson