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Thursday, March 27, 2014

yet another day.

Life is demanding...
Today was the first day I had off with no rain, no snow, and the ability to clean the barn yard sense Spring has come into play.

So I swept, shoveled, and forked hay and manure for hours on end... My body is killing me!
I yawn..
I ache...
but all the pain is a good pain knowing my horses are in a clean dry area; till it starts raining in the morning.


My plan is to fork a little bit more tomorrow!

I shoveled manure.
I turned compost piles of manure and hay.
I searched materials for making their dry lot DRY 365 instead of the mud hole it is...
I have collected and printed out patterns I may want to use as a guide for the 50x50 level and dry area... I will then cover the rest of it in road rock, pea gravel, and granite sand.  we shall see how it all works out.

Snow has been crazy in the past few day... Sun is suppose to peak through as of Sunday...

I have Thursday and Friday off... Thursday I needed to do chores... Friday is 80% chance of rain... I can only hope with the rain the water container is topped off and the pasture is a little better to fork into compost piles.

Steve need 4 bails of hay for props in the house shots... I'll give him what ever he needs and make sure they are taken care of.

Don called and I still have 30 bails of hay I need to get out of his barn; I will do this ASAP.

People continue to call him for hay... I need 400 bails of hay a year... I get all I can from Don and get the the rest from who ever I can.  This year I got 500 bails and it has served me well.  Thus I have hay while Don continues to get calls all the time at all times of the day.

Life is good ...
The horses are healthy ... as am I
My main farm hand is no longer available but I can only hope his returns soon.

My love to the world...
AegF
A Picture of Navarre as he takes a nap under the tree!  Sweet Pea guards him from me as he sleeps...

The snow was YESTERDAY...
Navarre napping... is TODAY...




Sunday, March 23, 2014

Another First!

While doing my normal routine this morning, putting my hands all over each of my horses.  Navarre decided to KICK the crap out of me!  I'm fine... thus the reason to teach your kids to always stand VERY VERY CLOSE to a horse when examining, cleaning and caring for a horse.

I was standing pretty close so he could not get good force behind his kick!
We did a few ground work scenarios and then I allowed him to eat.

Life is good! Grey, cloudy, rain filled day and a horse with a touchy stomach.  I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he is ok tonight before the freeze sets in.

Hope everyone else has a great day!
My love to the world
AegF
 

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Loving my new feed.

While I have had one year and a half with no serious issue with Navarre, one still has to plan for the day it all falls apart with a horse with such genetic issues.

But as of today I am elated with his routine, his feed, and his playfulness.

The new Purina has allowed me to put him out to pasture for only minutes at a time but twice a day where he can be a real horse, graze the ground, and play like a baby.

I long for the day I can put him out for hours at a time but this day and dream may never come... but getting ANY grass for a horse that previously could have none is a blessing!

Yesterday .... as I walked to the barn there where three white patches in the dry lot.  White patches where he had rolled and was trying to get all that hair off his back.   As my mare defended her feed not allowing him to have or take it.  I was measuring the dry lot, doing my calculations for a true DRY lot that would not be all gravel so I could actually keep it clean all year.   You know the basics... square footage... gravel delivery prices, bob cat price for two days, what to do with all the manure I already have (thinking of the ditch on the east side of the estate for pear trees.)  I come up with about 4,000 dollars at the least, cheapest, and unfortunately the ugliest way possible.

As I stood there mulling all this in my head... Could I stand what it is going to look like? etc... Navarre came up to me rubbed his head on my hip and I started to rub him with my glove covered hand.  Almost immediately hair filled my poor glove and I had to find a place to put it.  This went on and on for about thirty to forty five minutes.  By this time Sweet Pea was done with her feed and as he walked to make sure it was gone I started to rub on my mare.  While she stood still it was not the appreciation I got from Navarre, so I grabbed a brush and went back to him.  He once again stood still... only stretching forward for a belly scratch and a sweet nicker as I rubbed his chin to chest.

While it was suppose to be a riding day it was just as sweet and perfect with a day of my horses standing still, not in a grooming stall but liking, loving, and wanting attention from me.

A good horse day.
A perfect horse day.
AegF