Smokey-Houdini Contained....

Ah, the great escape artist, Smokey, is cooling his heels in the barn, under barn arrest. He is NOT staying where he belongs. Which is INSIDE the fence. So, the best thing to keep him safe from the road that runs along one lllooonnnnggg side of the property is to keep him contained where I know he will be safe. In the barn.

Poor Smokey. He keeps sticking his head out the window and hollering to the other horses about how mean his Mom is... I don't have any sympathy for him. Even though the fence is zapping him - he has a couple of small marks on his front legs where he zapped himself getting out - he continues to crawl through the fence.

So, the boys are hanging their heads in the stall window to keep him company and, I swear, laughing at him as they run around the field. Even letting him out for a few minutes while I clean his stall leads to an escape. So, into the other stall during cleaning time. Different four walls, but four walls just the same.

Short of putting up a wooden fence, and we know how well construction is this time of year with the weather, etc, or putting another strand of electric fence up around the whole field, which I probably will need to do, h e is driving me to distraction...

Another day, another great escape...

Ah, Smokey is at it again.... this time, when I let him out, I stayed in the barn where I could see him but he could not see me. And I watched him for about an hour... torture, I know. Sitting in the barn in the warm sun, watching my horses graze on what little grass there is left and the hay I threw out for them... then, it happened. Smokey went over to the corner of the fence, got on his knees and went under the top strand. The bottom strand was broken. Either by him or the deer or moose that cross the pasture in the middle of the night. (One of the main reasons I put my boys in every night.)

So, went out to get the little sunshine... put him in his stall. And fixed fence. And fixed more fence.

Then let the little turkey back out. And zapped him with the fixed fence. Ok, okay, before anyone calls the Constable, I just let him go up to the fence and he zapped himself. But I made sure it was a good one.

SO, after another hour or two, he was still in the fence where he belonged. Crisis averted. For the meantime, at least... so, no little pony running up the road in the middle of the night.

Sleep good, Smokey. And Stay in the FENCE!!!

The Great, Amazing Escape Artist... Houdini? No, SMOKEY!

Smokey, the amazing escape artist, has done it again... He was in for a week while I fixed fence and got the zapper stronger. Came home this afternoon, and he was at the neighbor's house mowing the lawn. Thank God the neighbor is in Maryland until December 2nd. So, he's back in the stall with access to the other horses, but not in the electric fence. Sigh. Back to the drawing board. I'm going out to clean stalls later so will hook him out on a long lead rope. Little bugger. Going to have to figure this one out sooner rather than later. He had been running up the road at night so don't even want to think about letting him out after dark.

Sigh. Nothing better to do with my time than try and corral a little pony who can scoot under the fencing. And his hair is long enough to make the zap seem not so bad. You would think with a 20 acre steer fencer on 2 acres of land that it would encourage him to stay in, but I guess not.

Off to the barn I go - again...

What a Great Weekend!

Equine Affair was WONDERFUL! There was so much to see and so many things to learn. And shopping... was there ever shopping to be done. I wasn't looking for anything and just enjoyed walking aroudn, seeing the clinics and the Versatile Rider Competition. Four days with NO kids, NO animals, NO husband, NO work, NO schedule... it was my four days of vacation!!!

So, after watching a few of the clinicians, watch out Mingo... I have new ways of training and working with the horses.

Am looking foward to next year already....

Equine Affair, here we come....

Getting excited!!! Headed out to Equine Affair tomorrow morning at 7 am. Be back Sunday.

Good thing I got the day off from work due to Veterans Day - Thanks to all the men and women who work and gave so much to make it free for me and everyone else to express themselves and be free.

So, if you don't hear from me for a couple of days, I'll be back, full of information and ideas from a great list of people who know way more about horses than I would ever hope to learn....

If you are going, enjoy! If not, stay tuned....

Lynn :)

'Tis a Sad Day, Indeed...

Hi, all. My friend, Kate, lost one of her most trusted horses in her horse program I have been helping with. Ellie was injured mysteriously about 1 1/2 months ago. Her injuries were healing well, but then she began having neurological issues. Yesterday, Ellie was unable to stand, so Kate, her vet, Susan, and I were with her while the vet helped her on her last journey.

Kate is devastated. This is the horse that all the beginners worked with. The horse that introduced people to the horse partners program I have been working with all summer. Her granddaughter, Paige, is especially close to Ellie and wanted to be with her in the end, but time wise it was not going to happen.

Please send well wishes and prayers or warm, comforting thoughts Kate and Paige's way. While the shock and loss are so fresh, the caring will certaily help them.

Dear Ellie - rest in peace and enjoy your freedom from the complications that affected you. You will be missed and we will never be able to replace you.

Preparing for Winter....

It's here.... leaves are knee high under the maple trees, leaving their naked trees to shudder in the wind and cold. The horses are turning into fuzzy monsters. The chickens are huddled under the lamp at night. The turkeys are getting big - won't be long now before they are the centerpiece of Thanksgiving dinner.

Trying to wrap up the outside - storing the pool, cleaning out the garden, raking the leaves, setting up winter fences.

Sigh. This time of year is so depressing for me. I have to sit by the morning window to soak in the sun with my coffee to keep the goonies at bay.

The wood stove is cranking and I don't have enough hay in the barn for the whole winter.

Equine Affair is right around the corner (YEAH!!!) and I'm making plans for my winter trip to South Carolina in February.

Hay is ordered and will be delivered. Have two ponies and 3 horses for the winter. Tommy is gaining weight well. Mingo has completely recovered from his trailering incident. Smokey and Abner are chunky little ponies who are on a restriced diet. Leo will be here in the middle of November and will likely stay through April.

Knock on wood, no snow yet. But have had a layer of ice on the stock tanks a few mornings last month.

Sending away for Tommy's testing for HYPP and will report on his status.

Get out your winter long johns and your warm, wooly pajamas and throw some more wood on the fire. It's just starting and it's going to be a long one....