United States Eventing Association

Lellie Ward’s Paradise Farm is a popular training and competition site in Aiken, S.C., and home to a number of benchmark horse trials throughout the year. This year, the farm gained an unlikely mascot in the form of a precious, pink-nosed ball of fuzz that has quickly collected a fan club both in the Aiken community and on Facebook.

From Lellie:

“On February 8 of this year, I gave a demonstration for the South Carolina Horseman's Council. After my demonstration, I went to walk around the shops and exhibits and came across Old McCaskill’s Farm.

There were many small children holding this adorable little lamb with a red jacket. He was as good as gold, being passed around from child to child. Of course I had to have a go, but then I could not give him back. I bought him with a credit card, without any experience having sheep before.

This magnificent ball of fluff became Cloudy. He was three weeks old, the only surviving twin and his mother had no milk for him. He was a bottle baby, an inconvenience for the farm and was to be put down.

Cloudy rode home wrapped in a blanket in the front seat of my truck with a stuffed black bull named Handsome. That night, he slept in my arms in the bed. Neither of us moved an inch.

Cloudy has grown up with three dogs: a giant basset named Woody, a Shepherd cross named Ladybug, and a wild Australian Shepherd called Brumby. He grazes freely among fifteen show horses, and they have accepted Cloudy without a problem. Cloudy thinks he is a dog. We call him a sheepdog.

He comes and goes as he pleases, and everyone loves him. He is very friendly and comes when I call him. He will sit in my lap and will lay down quietly on large dog beds around the farm. He rides the golf cart, ATV, and has ridden on the tractor.

At five months, Cloudy, a Dorset sheep, has grown to almost 100 pounds. He is bigger than the dogs and almost as fast, and will have beautiful rolled horns when fully matured. He is magnificent in my eyes and a wonderful friend.

He is a sweet animal and a wonderful mascot to Paradise Farm.”