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Sunday, April 28, 2013

RAIN...

The rain came in yesterday.
I made sure to give the horse a little extra oil but it wasn't enough... by the time I went back for evening feeding Navarre acted as if they never had feed or hay that morning; and Sweet Pea was shaking from the cold rain.

It's in the 50's and wet and while it seems like nothing it made a world of difference for them with no sun a slight wind and most of their winter hair brushed out.  The only thing I haven't done is slick them off.  Otherwise most of their winter hair is all but gone.

Please watch your horses in weather like this. Hay is their heat source and you must increase it as needed and decrease it as allowed. 

I am very very tight on my hay right now.  And while during the hot 70 degree days they have had 1/3 a bail between them morning and again at night in a slow / tight hay bag they got a FULL bail last night and will get a full bail again this morning....   We all have to do what is called for.  You put on more layers of clothes when this chill sets back in.  My horses are loosing their insulation and thus it must be made up for in energy allowed for them to create from their hay and or fat.

Fat heat is fast but does not last as long, thus the reason for more hay.

Yes my horses have plenty of coverage and wind resistant/ protective areas to be BUT for one reason or another they do not use it unless their hay is in the stall, over hang or feeding area.

My love to the world...
Take care of your horses...
Amber

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Hoping and Praying

Yes strange title for me but true all the same.

Today I have a chance.  I've had this chance before but it never pans out.
Today I had schedule one young lady that just wants a horse to ride to come over. 
She has now called and asked if she could bring a friend that wants the same.  All the same, all the better is all I can think.

So hopefully later today I will have two young ladies out to meet the horses to see if they can ride, how they ride and what type of riding they want to do.

Besides I have a truck, I have a trailer, I just need someone to love on and ride Navarre when I can't because I am after all determined to get another full time job as soon as I can.

Walked the mountain with a friend Sunday, with my husband yesterday and life is looking brighter with each walk. 


Wish me luck!
AegF

Monday, April 22, 2013

beautiful day

Yesterday was one of the most beautiful days.
I got NOTHING done... as I took care of my kids (horses) had a girlfriend come by to meet my horses.  I so enjoyed having her see them finally! We have known each other for years and she had never seen my horses.

I still have to find that perfect Farrier.  The person I had hoped would help of course never called back and I called him four times, once more than my normal.

At any rate... after taking care of the kids I came home got food, started in on helping with some miner things in the office.

THEN... the phone rang, and a girl friend I rarely get to relax with called asked if I wanted to go for a hike and THUS the next four hours of my day was spent in the woods easy stroll with incredible things popping out in nature.  And a view that a phone will never capture.  SO I hope to go back very soon to get you all pictures.

Back to the horses on the way back down the mountain... and Sweet Pea running around like crazy...
It was so cute.
They were dumb founded when I drove past them and went up the mountain earlier in the day, so when I came back down they ran wild!!!! realizing I was about to feed them again on the way back down. 

Animals are funny and these guys are just adorable.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Sitting on Navarre

A daily mount is so wonderful. 
Today my life consist of making sure Sweet Pea gets some grass but not too much, as the pasture is all green and perfect today.

Navarre must have his body, mane and tail brushed as he is aggravated by the hair and wants it gone.  Brushing him this time of year helps him to regulate his temperature it's only 32 degrees outside at 7am... and freeze expected till 9am...

Navarre has a tendency of rubbing off a chunk of his mane each summer... I am starting this brush habit in order to TRY to allow the mane to grow out as it should be instead of having to be cut off each spring to even it off again.

He is funny looking and not much of a site as a Vanner but incredible as a horse all the same.

I love how he sits like a warmblood but perfect as my old woman horse as he is so sweet and not at all like a warmblood would be.

Life is COLD... Life is good... I can only await the settle of spring and the approach of summer; looking ahead!

My love to the world...
AegF

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

HUGE changes.

I am been almost afraid to write about it... but in the past three weeks BOTH of my horses have been acting completely different.

Navarre while he followed me around from place to place; he is now somehow seeing me as the pack leader.  He is as they call it " hooked on"  ?
Sweet Pea is begging for attention!

They are both really enjoying their brushing to the point I didn't even halter Sweet Pea yesterday, only when I put her out to pasture but even then she follows me to the pasture and comes in when I call. 

Navarre is backing up on verbal command
Yesterday I decided I was going to put a hackamore on him instead of a bit in his mouth.  He did SO good.  front, back, wide front steps, and good response disconnect on hind end if going right... but for some reason not so good going left.  I've decided each time I put Sweet Pea out to pasture I'll jump on him and get some basic riding skills in.. IF it is not raining or what ever. 

He seems to really enjoy his lessons yesterday.  He ran around the dry lot as soon as I let him go and immediately came back asking for more. 

?

I can only hope this pattern of attention, attitude, and loving continues from them both.

A part of me things they see how stressed out I've been and how I wanted to take better care of them when I was working but couldn't.  ? Not sure but when it changes back to crazy horse and mister bully I'll let you know.

My love to the world
AegF

Monday, April 15, 2013

in Pain!!!!!

As life goes on and several calls have been made to the vet, to the farriers I hoped for, and even went to beg someone else for help in the meantime.  To no avail... no one has called me back, no one has made a schedule including my kids and I can wait no longer.

So today I went and got my supplies after doing all my research, reading too much. and scared to death I had to get those nasty toes off my kids.

Navarre just about killed me, but he is walking better, chased the dog (a friends who was helping me, just in case I got kicked a little too hard) and seems to be doing better and well for all I can see.

Sweet Pea is very pleased with having less toe and begging for more attention.

I on the other hand and in so much pain I would take about anything anyone would offer at this point.  Nothing I've taken has touched the constant throbbing in my back! My knee locked up so intensely it took my breath away several times in the process of tanking care of the kids.

Thank GOD Bill came by to baby sit me... as I had asked....  No one to hold the kids and Navarre is a little young for one person.  So ... Besides that I have lost much of my hand and arm strength over the past few years and I could barely hold their foot perfectly still and take off as much as I needed to for their sake.

I took off what I could for Navarre... Sweet Pea on the other hand is perfect for another month! Excited about her feet... BUT HIS are going to be the death of me.  I'm not sure how I'm going to do all this by myself but... life goes on and 300 dollars less every six weeks adds up!   Only a little over... 3,720.00 a year... not including tips etc...

Life is CRAZY... and life it at its bare bones here! Thus one more thing I have to learn to do myself.  Although I would still prefer to find the perfect farrier get shoes for Navarre and have a full pour so I can ride him on the road.  Other wise I will have to turn him into a plow horse only.  Which is not a bad thing... but I had hoped to do so much more with him.

Oh well it all goes on...
Navarre has not had but 10 minutes total of grass in the past two weeks... a clump thrown at him here and there... a new high protein and Low Carb feed added to his rice bran it encouraging... the oil is a big thing though... it is a daily must.

My love to the world ... through all this crazy pain...
AegF

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Helmets and Wraps READY!

I have my weather alarm set on Warning
I have the horse helmets at the barn as well as all the polo wraps.

? What ? Why?

We are expecting hail but I worry more about the tornado warning.   I know people love saying oh it never happens in the mountains etc... Well as I research it does... up to over 6000 feet and trust me there is nothing of that wonderful size on the eastern side of the country so...

My mere 3000 feet where the barn sits is always a possibility WITH the perfect storm.  Point is I'm not worried I'm just saying I'd rather be prepared.

Water over flow valve is open... expecting flash floods and hail so.... The only thing the over flow valve is going to hurt is all the tadpoles in the over flow tub/container.  My plants are going to love all this rain as the last few days the lettuce has been stressed in the middle of the day due to all the wind we have had lately.

Life is good
Navarre is being a lot more loving these days... even my husband noticed it today.
Sweet Pea is board but I can't ride them with out getting their feet done.

We all know last week I stopped by to schedule a food trim for them.  He told me to call him Wednesday, I called Tuesday due to this storm coming in.   Then he said he would call me, and he didn't... so I called him today.  He's out for a clinic this weekend and said he would call me Monday.  If he doesn't ? well it's the third strike.  BUT I'm screwed either way... I can tell Sweet Peas feet are bothering her.

Still looking for a good farrier I can depend on.  I was so hoping to keep Sweet Pea bare foot but I have to have some sort of a schedule to work with to get to and from the barn with a job, and especially looking for a job.

But again life is good, I await the storm, the wind is picking up, and the clouds darken the sky before sun down.




Monday, April 8, 2013

oh it hurts!

While digging 6 holes is not a big deal ... I never stopped.

Yesterday I got several things around the barn done.  Including and not stopping at cutting back multi flora rose CRAP from above the barn.  This stuff is so thick it takes hours to move only a foot or two.   I kept at it made two decent piles and found a spice bush in bloom along the way.  So I kept the spice bush and the sassafras tree but got rid of everything else.

Just because I cut it all down below the ground doesn't mean it will stay gone.  In fact it will come back all the harder BUT it will be in small spots so I can spray the stumpy growth and not effect the ground around it.

Horses are board and I can't ride them because their feet are chunking apart, but my new guy is on his way this week.  I can only hope sooner than later this week.

Well the horses are wanting more hay...
I am running out of hay...
This is the first year I have run out and I dare say I have not gone through as much as I had purchased so... something has gone hay wire with my hay? 

At any rate it is what it is and I am going out to get a job today... yes no matter ... I'm doing my billing and shipping then I'm leaving with resume in hand to hand them out today.  for ANY type of job...

73 degrees expected today! 
Much better than anything else experienced yet.

My love to the world
AegF

Sunday, April 7, 2013

just another day.

Yesterday went well...

I got the raspberries in the ground, although one was shipped broken so I do not expect all six to survive.  I did however do all I could to aid the poor thing, I place growth hormones on it / bound it back together with organic materials and planted it as softly as I could.

They are all in a good sunny, protected space near the barn so I can keep an eye on them and keep them watered this year.

I got the pots on the deck mulched with Sweet Peas hair while Navarre was loving his brushing his rolling is starting to take care of most of his long seasonal hair.  I did however forget to take the good scissors so I will have to try to remember them for today. 

As much as I hate too I am going to cut his forelock, mane, and tail... saving some of it for a bracelet or something I can keep just in case I have to let him go.  Or something happens to him due to his PPSM/ EPSM .  I was talking to a horse person about this EPSM earlier and to my surprise people still confuse EPSM for epm... epm has NO relation to EPSM... please do your research or look on past post here for the complete differences.

The temperatures are not going to be as wonderful here as expected so I will not be able to bathe the horses today as I wanted.  But spring is around the corner and soon it will all start to flow as it should.


I head back to the barn today to clean out some more of that horrible brier stuff ... Not sure how today will go... but... I'm so excited it is going to be in the 60's, not raining, and I am able to be out in the sun.

My love to the world...
AegF

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Saturday!

I am so excited... as I type all three of my birds fly around the house.  One on my head, One on the back of the wing back chair, and the last on the window seal soaking up the morning sun. 

Life is good this morning... all my plants can go back outside as I head to the barn.

I hope to be in the sun all day! We are finally getting a normal temperature day for this time of year.  So... I'm layered for the cool morning, down to easy short sleeves for later in the day.

I am excited as the grass will be perfect for the horses today, not a stressful too cold (frost on grass can cause a horse to founder faster than grass that is not) Frozen grass has so much starch/sugar to help it survive the freeze it the concentrate hurts horses.  NOT to forget it is even worse if the grass is fescue.

People forget fescue is NOT a good grass for horses.  At its worse it causes mares to loose a foal late in gestation.  but it causes small insignificant issues that add up over time.  Much like a lot of our processed foods we as "Americans" eat most of the time.  You know fast food is not good for you.  You know it has WAY too much fat, chemicals, and who knows how genetically modified it is, and what cancers it is causing down the road.  Fescue is the same thing in horses... they colic easier on it over time... they founder more easily on it over time... and once again... the poisons will kill a foal in gestation.  I've seen it happen too many times but everyone around here blames it on the mare.  IT IS THE GRASS people!



A great day is planned.

Get to the barn...
Get the feed into the cans...
Get both horse wormed. I got their paste yesterday...
Get Sweet Pea out to pasture.
Get Navarre brushed out, but save the hair for more mulch on the cold crop beds. ( taking some home if I can)
Cut Navarre's hair... mane, tail and feet... he is walking on his hair again... and the mane is ragged looking... cutting it all one length.
Brush out Sweet Pea as well... doing same as above... ( but not much hair...)

Get 6 holes dug for Raspberry bushes...
Get shrub/ tree soil ... so I can add them to the holes tomorrow.  get one extra bag for house...
OH I need more garden soil for my tomato plants I have in the house.
Price Mulch down the road...

Do research on NEW RAIN COATS for the horses for fall and winter next year.  They are both full grown so no issues.   They should start to go on sale soon.

I need to figure out a ladder up to the top of the water container at the barn.  Building a ladder of left over 1x2 should be easy enough.

I hope to bring Navarre home for a good warm bath tomorrow or later this week as the heat moves into the area!

Friday, April 5, 2013

In a PANIC!!!!

As I sit here in front of the computer my eyes lids are heavy, my head bobbles, and my body aches.

What is the problem?
A PANIC ATTACH!

I never got to sleep last night with the realization that I have very little money for my horses.  We have gone through their emergency fund due to me not having an income for the past 9 months.  All I can think of is HAY, VET BILLS... and all the What IF's of what could happen.

I am boiling water again this morning for the horses and hot mash.
I am about to go to the barn but so many things are starting to pile up in my mind.

I have re-done my resume
I am about to call a friend to assist me in creating a better cover letter.

I am disappointed on searching for a job and the fact that you never get to see anyone before sending in a resume, rarely do you have a specific person to send the cover letter to, and when I call to follow up on a position I get sassy attitudes as if I'm am afflicted thinking I would be able to get any type of a simple answer to my questions.  Who is doing the hiring? By what time are they wanting to make a decision? Is there any way to follow my resume though the process? How do I know if anyone has looked at my resume? BASIC questions no one wants to hear much less answer.

I hate feeling desperate...
BUT I will step back today... make a new plan... and set forth a new direction this weekend to follow through for next week. 

Today is FRIDAY and all that means is... I have two days to figure out what I am doing wrong; and figure it out I will.  Point is if I can't I'll ask for help from others who have recently accomplished this same goal.

LIFE...
PANICS...
RE-SET BUTTON

AegF


Thursday, April 4, 2013

FREEZING!!!!

Ok... it's April and I live in the south.  WHAT is going on?
Sleet pings off the windows this morning.

I didn't blanket the horses last night as it was warm late into the dark.  But with the sleet bouncing this morning I have the rain coat and the fleece in the drier warming them up so I can take them to the barn and warm the horses.

Yep boiling water on the stove making hot alfalfa feed mash and putting plenty of oil in their food today...  What a day!  I knew it was going to be a nasty day but the cold is unbearable.  I think my body was starting to adjust to the 40 degree nights and the 50 up degree days. 

Oh my poor horses...
I'm taking the quilted blanket for Sweet Pea and the rain coat for Navarre.  I feel so bad!

I have got to purchase new rain coats for the kids for next winter... these have just about fallen apart but... they are 4 years old now and I got them on sale off season as well.  This is how I save my money when it comes to horse care.  Plan ahead... ? (didn't do so well for last night did I)  Oh well...

I also got plants planted ... got some of them mulched with horse hair! yep! a perfect solution to my situation.  I can't afford pretty mulch right now but... as Navarre and Sweet Pea shed I simply clean my brushes and put the hair around my new plants.  Plants I hope make it through this freeze today!

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

not yet .

I have not made it to the barn as of yet.

Yes I plan to get there, I'm just running late.

Plans for the day...
Let Sweet Pea out for grass, give Navarre one flake of hay to hold him over for a while.
Clean the water container.
Clean the barn
Water the new plants I put in the ground
Water the new plants I put on the deck
Continue to cut back the wild (not native) rose bushes on the property.
Fill up the water container as I do other things.
Give them some hay for the day
Give them some feed for the day.
Brush off Navarre and use his hair as mulch  for the new plants
Spread some seeds around the new plants...

Take the camera and take some pictures of what I am doing.
Call USPS and get them to take care of the Netherlands
Go to the bank do a transfer for the Netherlands order.

I hope to also start clearing more in the real garden section of the estate, but this spot although perfect for a garden... NOT perfect for clearing, cleaning or keeping it that way.  It is the hardest place on the estate to keep clear...
Call a neighbor down 74a and see if we can't finally get together.

Oh well on to the office work then everything above.
My love to the world.
AegF

Monday, April 1, 2013

Lilly did horses...I dug in the dirt.

I had Sweet Pea out to pasture before I realized Lilly had called.
She brushed off Navarre enough he almost looked white by the time we left.

But we tried something new today... I had already put out his hay by the time she got there so we tied him on the other side with no hay as she took the time to brush him down.  After all his half brother did almost die from eating hair.  After 7 dirty brushes he still wasn't slick, neither was he really clean but he was relaxed and was enjoying his rub down.

It was the first time he seemed to really enjoy Lilly brushing him.  He somehow forgot Sweet Pea was eating grass and he wasn't.  It was a good day!

After he relaxed I finished up my building blocks I was planting into the ground to support my next to the fence garden a little better.  So Now I just need to work on the soil and decide what plants should live there.   I covered the wretched looking concrete blocks with several different types of small logs supporting them with a piece of re bar left over from the barn construction. 

The spinach I planted (only days ago) is already sprouting and is doing wonderfully under the horse hair I used as mulch.  Its just the right amount of wool over the seeds to allow them to keep in heat and sprout ASAP. 

I also planted some shade plants today that have nothing to do with horses or food, but I hope they bring me, my guest, and even the property a relaxing state.

I got out the flower containers that I had stashed away for winter.  Now I just have to afford potting soil and flowers!