My, oh, my. Hair is flying off in clumps, mud puddles are being utilized on an hourly basis (my flea bitten gray is mostly brown!) and the birds are singing.
It's spring. Mud up to my ankles. Nothing like adding weight to my feet and tromping around the pasture. Good for the legs to build strength for riding. Cleaning out the barn of all the bailing twine, grain bags and stuff that just gets caught up in the corners when it's too cold and dark to clean out in the winter.
I'm going to start a fire out back today in the fire place and burn, burn, burn... :) Yep, there's a bit of a pyro in me, but it's totally safe. I only burn when and where I can make sure that nothing other than the fire I'm building will catch. Guess that's why I love having two wood stoves in my house. I can burn things all winter long.
So, off to clean the barn, unearth treasures and shovel out the stalls from the horses being in all day yesterday from the rain! :)
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Gotta Love Spring
It's raining. Again. Sigh. Out walking through the muck and the mud and the frozen pockets of ice. I'm glad most of the snow banks are gone. I'm glad to be up to my ankles in mud. That means that good weather is right around the corner. And the boys don't have shoes on. That means that I don't have to go searching for lost shoes when I mow.
I went out this afternoon to fill stock tanks because they were running low. And it started to rain. So I went to put everyone in. Elias and Buddy, being the bone-headed males that they are, (with a mare in heat -A G A I N- still), didn't want to leave her side to go in the barn. God forbid I would put them in and leave her out! Tragedy.
So, after taking 20 minutes, in the rain, circling and circling, I convinced Elias that if he went in I could bring the others in. Then Buddy, trying out his long legs, needed to be convinced that I wasn't going to give up and stop following him, finally let me get the lead rope around his neck. Then, with my husband calling him from the barn, almost literally pulled me along to the door, like I was detaining him from getting there fast enough.
Elias, for being the biggest horse on the property, he has a wimpy little whinny. Whereas Buddy, he could peel paint off the wall. Truly, he hurts my ears when he hollers.
So, Buddy and Elias are in, finally - off to open the adjoining pasture to let Abner, Smokey and Lacey into the pasture next to the barn. (Buddy and Elias eat more and spend less time herding and pacing if she isn't in the same pasture as they are.) They dance around, swapping places, cocking back legs to let fly if the shuffle doesn't move their way. My hubby is running the door and shuffles everyone through.
I finish filling water buckets in their stalls, since I have the hose out anyways, and finish filling stock tanks on the other side of the barn. It's nice inside, hearing the horses munch on hay, quietly talking to each other and me. Hearing the rain pinging off the metal roof.
My oldest daughter, Ashley, is making supper. Ok, she's not doing it entirely for us. Her boyfriend is over for dinner. She's making steak and potatos on the grill, veggies and I don't know what else. Usually we have a nice dessert, too. It's nice to have dinner made, even if she had an ulterior motive :)
I went out this afternoon to fill stock tanks because they were running low. And it started to rain. So I went to put everyone in. Elias and Buddy, being the bone-headed males that they are, (with a mare in heat -A G A I N- still), didn't want to leave her side to go in the barn. God forbid I would put them in and leave her out! Tragedy.
So, after taking 20 minutes, in the rain, circling and circling, I convinced Elias that if he went in I could bring the others in. Then Buddy, trying out his long legs, needed to be convinced that I wasn't going to give up and stop following him, finally let me get the lead rope around his neck. Then, with my husband calling him from the barn, almost literally pulled me along to the door, like I was detaining him from getting there fast enough.
Elias, for being the biggest horse on the property, he has a wimpy little whinny. Whereas Buddy, he could peel paint off the wall. Truly, he hurts my ears when he hollers.
So, Buddy and Elias are in, finally - off to open the adjoining pasture to let Abner, Smokey and Lacey into the pasture next to the barn. (Buddy and Elias eat more and spend less time herding and pacing if she isn't in the same pasture as they are.) They dance around, swapping places, cocking back legs to let fly if the shuffle doesn't move their way. My hubby is running the door and shuffles everyone through.
I finish filling water buckets in their stalls, since I have the hose out anyways, and finish filling stock tanks on the other side of the barn. It's nice inside, hearing the horses munch on hay, quietly talking to each other and me. Hearing the rain pinging off the metal roof.
My oldest daughter, Ashley, is making supper. Ok, she's not doing it entirely for us. Her boyfriend is over for dinner. She's making steak and potatos on the grill, veggies and I don't know what else. Usually we have a nice dessert, too. It's nice to have dinner made, even if she had an ulterior motive :)
Monday, March 30, 2009
Rain, rain, go away...
Ohy, vey. I know we need the rain. We always need the rain. But I have a couple of points to make about the rain. First - it's too cold, wet and damp to even entertain the idea of riding. The horses are covered head to foot in mud, wet hair that is coming out in clumps and it's just gross. The other problem I have is - my truck refuses to start in the rain. I know, I know. Nothing like a fair-weather ride. Good thing I still have the power of Veto over my teenage daughter so I did have the ford to drive today.
So, I ran the errands I needed to run in the morning, let the horses out to swim in the mud and manure puddles and cleaned the barn. Got them all bedded in with clean shavings, some hay, a little taste of grain (a reward them from coming in!) and some fresh water. They were soaked. Not only did it rain, but the bone heads are rolling around in the muck and mud.
The mare is in heat - A G A I N! Actually, it would be easier to pinpoint when she is NOT in heat. She's squealing, running around, twitching her butt in the air around the boys, bucking and farting. Generally making a nuisance of herself. Spring is in the air - just another of the 1,001 reasons to be in heat and tease the boys.
The Boys... are all gelded. Years ago! But that doesn't stop them from trying to become the most handsome, smooth moving, loudest suitor in the field. Even Smokey, the smallest in the herd, is trying to snuggle up to the little Jezebel. It's actually very funny to watch the circus. They are mock playing. Smokey against Abner; Elias against Smokey; Abner against Elias - the whole time Buddy is herding her away from the action and she is trying to get near the action.
I'm looking forward to the days when it's just the four boys in the field. With hay at $5 a bale (I go through 2 1/2 bales a day now), shavings are now over $6 a bag and grain around $20 a bag, not to mention farrier service, spring shots, worming... it's plenty expensive to have horses. I just finished paying of the last vet bill in February. Now it's time to schedule spring shots, cleaning of sheaths (eewww. The vet does that one!), and seeing if their teeth need floating. I'm probably looking at $350 at least. Eeek.
The pleasure and the pain of owning a horse. The 365 days of having a shoulder to cry on, warm, fuzzy necks to bury my nose in, and a never ending source of amusement, it makes it all worth it.
So, back out to top off the water buckets and portion out some more hay and grain and tuck everyone in to bed for the night. Maybe they might be dried out by now and a quick brushing in the morning will help ease some of the clumping lumps of hair falling off them in handfuls!
So, I ran the errands I needed to run in the morning, let the horses out to swim in the mud and manure puddles and cleaned the barn. Got them all bedded in with clean shavings, some hay, a little taste of grain (a reward them from coming in!) and some fresh water. They were soaked. Not only did it rain, but the bone heads are rolling around in the muck and mud.
The mare is in heat - A G A I N! Actually, it would be easier to pinpoint when she is NOT in heat. She's squealing, running around, twitching her butt in the air around the boys, bucking and farting. Generally making a nuisance of herself. Spring is in the air - just another of the 1,001 reasons to be in heat and tease the boys.
The Boys... are all gelded. Years ago! But that doesn't stop them from trying to become the most handsome, smooth moving, loudest suitor in the field. Even Smokey, the smallest in the herd, is trying to snuggle up to the little Jezebel. It's actually very funny to watch the circus. They are mock playing. Smokey against Abner; Elias against Smokey; Abner against Elias - the whole time Buddy is herding her away from the action and she is trying to get near the action.
I'm looking forward to the days when it's just the four boys in the field. With hay at $5 a bale (I go through 2 1/2 bales a day now), shavings are now over $6 a bag and grain around $20 a bag, not to mention farrier service, spring shots, worming... it's plenty expensive to have horses. I just finished paying of the last vet bill in February. Now it's time to schedule spring shots, cleaning of sheaths (eewww. The vet does that one!), and seeing if their teeth need floating. I'm probably looking at $350 at least. Eeek.
The pleasure and the pain of owning a horse. The 365 days of having a shoulder to cry on, warm, fuzzy necks to bury my nose in, and a never ending source of amusement, it makes it all worth it.
So, back out to top off the water buckets and portion out some more hay and grain and tuck everyone in to bed for the night. Maybe they might be dried out by now and a quick brushing in the morning will help ease some of the clumping lumps of hair falling off them in handfuls!
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