Slop and playing horses!!!

I got off work today at 1:30 and was home by 2:00. I have to be at my gramma's by 6:00, but I figured I muck a couple of stalls first. Squirrel's and Thai's were REALLY sloppy. So I turned Squirrel into the arena and took three wheelbarrow loads of poop soup out of her 12 X 12 stall. I think a LOT of it is run-off from the snow melt. It just seeped in there. But also, it's so sloppy in her run, she decided she wanted to go in the barn. (Dirty, rotten, nasty horse!!!)

She was DEFINITELY needing some turn out time! She bucked and struck and played! SO FUNNY!!! I had to backfill her stall with clean dirt which came from the buildup around the arena rails. It was damp, but much drier than the stall was before!

I didn't have time nor the energy to do Thai's stall, it's just as bad or worse than Squirrel's, so it'll have to wait until tomorrow or Saturday.

Jazzy's stall had packed poop, but no urine, so I turned her out and clean her stall. Same thing!!! Bucking and farting and having a blast! At least with her stall, I didn't have to backfill it.

Saturday, everyone gets turned out for an hour or so each to burn off some excess energy.

Since I was in the barn, the horses were, of course, dying of starvation, so I grained them all. Honey's pen doesn't have a place for me to hang a bucket, so I use a big rubber feed pan. She was done eating about the time I headed back to house, and I looked over, and there she was pushing to pan under the fence! Such a good girl! I'd been wondering what the deal was...I kept finding it outside the fence and I though that Mike was maybe grabbing it when he went out to feed. NOPE!! My Funny Honey was giving it back to me!

We are down to 5 bales of hay so tomorrow, we are off to the farm to load up 2 tons. I wish it was MY farm, but no. They have WONDERFUL hay! Even first cutting was decent, though a little sun bleached. I'm going to strike a deal with her - create an account. Pay like $100 a month, in advance, so it's not such a big hit all at once when we go get hay. And during the summer, when we don't feed so much hay anyway, we have her owing us! Sound like a good idea?? Yeah, I know, I'm a frickin' genious!

The weather has been pretty good to us since the weekend. It was breezy today, but at least above freezing. And the rain and snow showers expected for yesterday swung south of us. Every time I get the urge to move, I remember what winters are like here...and read about what they are like elsewhere. I think I'll stay here.

Enjoy your New Year's Eve Festivities and don't drive drunk! Stay safe! And..hug your horses and give them a carrot or two from me and Mike and the rest of the gang here at the Funny Farm!

Sloppy, soggy mess!

Since 9:00 am yesterday, it's been 40 degrees or above. The south wind brought us a Chinook Wind, and everything is mostly melted off.

THAT means, the horses are walking in slop. All except Honey, who's pen is on high ground. Thank God we put in a ditch 2 years ago, about 20 feet from the barn. The water collect there, rather than running into the stalls.

Thai has the nasty habit of pooping and peeing in her stall, so even though I cleaned it yesterday, it's a mucky mess. Luckily, the ground under the mat is higher, so at least I have a dry place to throw her hay.

I cleared a channel this morning, so the ditch will drain, but I have a feeling that my neighbor is going to be pissed at me. The gunky water all drains to her back pasture. Oh well, liquid fertilizer, right?

Thai's leg is still swollen, and every couple of day breaks open and oozes gunk. But she is fattening up nicely, and is feeling good. I thouht briefly about turning them out on the pasture but with there still being snow out there, I figure someone will either fall and hurt themselves, or they'll tear the pasture up. Beside, there's nothing exposed for them to even nibble on.

So, everyone is stuck in the slop. Hopefully, we'll have a week or so of warmer weather and things will dry out some before it freezes again.

Thai and Angel's waterer is thawing, but not enough for us to work on. So I still haul water.

For your enjoyment pleasure, I find this video pretty fun to watch. Here's the Romanian version with words. And here's the English version.

ENJOY!

SMACK THE PENGUIN

Too cold to do anything other than haul water, feed horses, and shovel snow.

So, have some fun and Smack the Penguin!

Needing to do some personal bragging...

I know I'm not the only one who got hit with the brutal wind and cold. We didn't get a whole lot of snow, but it's been cold.

My husband, Mike, usually doesn't do much out in the barn nor is he very involved with the feeding.

He didn't drain the hose so it froze, and I had to carry buckets, and it was SO COLD!!

On Monday, he came home early from work and pulled the hose into the garage to thaw, and used the compressor to blow out the ice. Then he hauled the hose out to top off water. He hauled buckets of water to Angel and Thai.

Starting on Wednesday, he hauled water in the mornings and has fed the horses for me. When I get up, I just have to go out, double check, then come back in. It totally cuts down on the time it takes me in the mornings.

Thursday night, it felt warm (or at least warmer than it has been) and I cleaned three stalls. He was the one that pushed the wheelbarrow through the snow to dump it.

This morning, he let me sleep until 8 am. I've been fighting a cold and have been feeling like crap. So he let me sleep in, fed and watered the horses, AND went next door to feed the neighbor's horses while she's out of town.

One of the automatic waterers has frozen, apparently the heater in it isn't working. He called and ordered new heaters and they're here, but the dang thing is frozen almost completely solid so we can't install it until it thaws out a little. Hopefully, it will be before spring. We just need a couple days above freezing, please?

He's just been so good to me this week! I always joke that "Sometimes he's great to have around, and sometimes I just don't have the energy to dig the grave." It's still true, but this week, he's great to have around!

I love you Mike!

Ah HA~A clue!!!

The other night I was out hauling water and I noticed what looked like blood dribbled down the outside of Thai's bum leg. Upon close inspection, I found this.

This is a new development. I didn't feel any bumps or scabs when Thai first got here. Her leg is still swollen, though not as bad, but it's not back to normal yet. I squeezed above and below the boo-boo, but no puss came out.

And through the whole thing, Thai stood like a lady and watched me out of the corner of her eye. She didn't move a muscle.

Last night when I went out to recheck, it had scabbed over. So I gave her some scratches on her throat, just above her chest. She's got some small scabs there under the fuzz. This sweet little thing is a contortionist!!

Hauling water...

I have automatic waterers that have heaters in them. It is SO COLD that one was mostly fozen over and the other was COMPLETELY frozen.

So, I got to haul water. Luckily, I have frost-free spigots at the barn that still work. So I fill a bucket out there, then hauled a bucket of straight hot out to the barn. I mixed some of the hot water with the water in the bucket and gave it to Angel and Thai. They were thirsty, but not as much as I thought they would be, seeing how they have ZERO water!

I broke the ice off the other waterer and dumped the rest of the hot water in to thaw it some.

I'll be back out at the barn a couple times before I go to bed to make sure the girls aren't thirsty.

It's supposed to be like this all week. Guess I'll be getting my exercise hauling water and making trips to and from the house.

Time to move south for the winter...

WINTER is here....

It's 18 degrees with 10 mph wind out of the north! Not so bad if you're not out in it, but my oh my, walking in the wind is brutal! So far, everyone is dealing with the temperature with no problems! In fact, they are all out on the "napping" grounds in the weather. I think they'll live!

Thai update - Thai played a little yesterday, VERY LITTLE. A three strided lope and a half-hearted buck. That's it.

Her leg is now "leg shaped", rather than round shaped. (Thank you very much Oregonsunshine for pointing out that "round" is also a shape.) It is still a little swollen, but the size has reduced to "puffy", rather than "monstrous"! Make sense?

I am SO glad that I got the poop picked up yesterday! Now I can relax until the thaw! (Or until next weekend...)

Stay warm and hug your horses.

The Pigs and The Priss

I told myself that I wasn't going to do any terd herding this weekend, due to the fact that the weather was supposed to be horrible. (And THANK YOU Candice for the term "Terd Herding" - LOVE IT!!!)

But I got bored. So out I went and got busy and picked up a LOT of POOP! And I noticed that all the horses are PIGS, except Angel. I mean dirty, rotten, poop in their stalls PIGS! Apparently that is my punishment for locking them off the pasture. It's as if their thoughts are "If I can have pasture, you have to clean stalls."

Except for Angel, my little Priss! She walk 20 feet out of the barn to poop. Further than that to pee. She doesn't lay down to nap unless the dirt is VERY dry. Her white socks are even WHITE. She stretches out so far to pee and poop it's amazing how she stays standing up. If she were human, she'd be the popular little blonde girl with big boobs, manicured nails, hair "just so", wearing clothes that are the height of fashion, who prances rather than runs. She squeals at the boys and tosses her hair, umm, tail too. Such a priss!

But the chores are done, the horses are back in their "beds" napping, I have a full belly (Mike made turkey sammiches and Bean N Bacon soup - YUM!), the blog is updated and I'm off to the shower.

*sigh* Life is good!

God Bless and hug your horses!

The Computer Nazis are on to me....

The computer nazis at work are on to me and have blocked all blogger.com sites. So I can't read or post ANYTHING for my blog, FHoTD, VLC, or anything else.


RAWR!!!

So what that means is that I can only reply to comments from home. AND...I probably won't be able to post any pictures because for whatever reason, my home computer won't upload them into blogger.

I will have them in my photobucket and post links to them.

Stupid, dirty, rotten, control freak, computer nazis!!!!

Thai Grrrr - Too Cute!

Thai continues to gain weight at an astounding rate. It’s amazing what decent feed and lack of competition for it will do for a sweet mare.

I received pictures from Kerrie, who provided the transportation for Thai. They were taken in October, before Thai started dropping weight. From what I can tell, Thai has gained back all that she lost in the two months between October and when she arrived at my place.

Her leg is still terribly swollen, but I haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly where or why. I’m guessing that it is on the inside of the gaskin, just above the hock. Cathy is not panicking, so I’m trying not to either. She gimps on it, off and on, but doesn’t seem to be in a lot of pain. She was on bute for three days, and now gets a double dose of B-L Solution AM and PM for any discomfort.

She is still eating EVERYTHING I put in front of her, though she doesn’t care for the Teff hay so much. She is becoming quite the little Princess, in that she can pick and choose what she wants to eat and if she doesn’t like the hay, it become her bedding while she stands watching the back door and nickering pitifully.

She is very polite, moving her nose to one corner of the feeder while I dump in her Strategy and Amplify. She’ll nibble delicately at the feed until I walk away, then she dives into it, stuffing her face with the yummy breakfast. If I open the feed window and drop in her hay, she’ll keep her head up and allow me to pet or cuddle all I want. She never pulls away and is never aloof. When I walk into her stall, she will turn and face me, then stand while I do whatever it is that I’m going to do. She loves carrots!

When I was giving her the bute, all I had to do was stand on the off side, take her nose with my left hand and pull it around and push the gunk into her mouth. No drama. No tight lips, No tossing her head. She didn’t even do the yuk-face-try-to-spit-it-out thing until AFTER I’d left her stall. She did the same thing with the dewormer.

When I haltered her to shave her leg, she dropped her nose, “looking” for the halter. The way she faces me and moves when I’m working with her, you’d almost think she was a halter horse. She pivots on the back end and faces me, without invading my space or being pushy. She’s just being polite.

Below is one of Thai’s babies – Snort’s Sport.

Letter to My Horse

Dear Horse,
I love you very much, and I truly cherish your presence in my life. I would never wish to criticize you in any way. However, there are a few trivial details regarding our relationship that I think might bear your consideration.

First of all, I am already aware that horses can run faster than I can. I do not need you to demonstrate that fact each time I come to get you in the pasture. Please remember that I work long and hard to earn the money to keep you in the style to which you have become accustomed. In return, I think you should at least pretend to be glad to see me, even when I'm carrying a bridle instead of a bucket of oats.
It should be fairly obvious to you that I am a human being who walks on only two legs. I do not resemble a scratching post. Do not think that, when you rub your head against me with 1,000 pounds of force behind it, I believe that it wasn't your intention to send me flying. I am also aware that stomping on my toes while you are pushing me around is nothing but adding injury to insult.

I understand I cannot expect you to cover your nose when you sneeze, but it would be appreciated if you did not inhale large amounts of dirt and manure prior to aiming your sneezes at my face and shirt.

Also, if you have recently filled your mouth with water you do not intend to drink, please let it all dribble from your mouth BEFORE you put your head on my shoulder.
In addition, while I know you despise your deworming medication, my intentions in giving it to you are good, and I really do not think I should be rewarded by having you spit half of it back out onto my shirt.

Sometimes, I get the feeling that you are confused about the appropriate roles you should play in various situations. One small bit of advice: Your stone-wall imitation should be used when I am mounting and your speed-walker imitation when I suggest that we proceed on our way, not vice versa.

Please also understand that jumping is meant to be a mutual endeavor. By “mutual”, I mean that we are supposed to go over the jump together. You were purchased to be a mount, not a catapult. I know the world is a scary place when your eyes are on the sides of your head, but I did spend a significant amount of money to buy you, and I have every intention of protecting that investment.

Therefore, please consider the following when you are choosing the appropriate behavior for a particular situation: - When I put your halter on you, attach one end of a lead rope to the halter, and tie the other end of the lead rope to a post or rail or whatever, I am indicating a desire for you to remain in that locale. I would also like the halter, lead rope, post, etc., to remain intact. While I admit that things like sudden loud noises can be startling, I do not consider them to be acceptable excuses for repeatedly snapping expensive new lead ropes (or halters or posts) so that you can run madly around the barn area creating havoc in your wake. Such behavior is not conducive to achieving that important goal that I know we both share --- decreasing the number of times the veterinarian comes out to visit you.
By the same token, the barn aisle was not designed for the running of the Kentucky Derby and is not meant to serve as a racetrack. Dragging me down the aisle in leaps and bounds is not how "leading" is supposed to work, even if someone happens to drop a saddle on the floor as we're passing. Pulling loose and running off is also discouraged (although I admit it does allow you to run faster).

I assure you that blowing pieces of paper do not eat horses. While I realize you are very athletic, I do not need a demonstration of your ability to jump 25 feet sideways from a standing start while swapping ends in midair, nor am I interested in your ability to emulate both a racehorse and a bucking bronco while escaping said piece of paper. Also, if the paper were truly a danger, it would be the height of unkindness to dump me on the ground in front of it as a sacrificial offering to expedite your escape.

When I ask you to cross a small stream, you may safely assume that said stream does not contain crocodiles, sharks, or piranhas, nor will it be likely to drown you. (I have actually seen horses swimming, so I know it can be done.) I expect you to be prepared to comply with the occasional request to wade across some small body of water. Since I would like to be dry when we reach the other side of the stream, deciding to roll when we're halfway across is not encouraged behavior.
I give you my solemn oath that the trailer is nothing but an alternate means of transportation for distances too long for walking. It is not a lion's den or a dragon's maw, nor will it magically transform into such. It is made for horses, and I promise you that you will indeed fit into your assigned space. Please also bear in mind that I generally operate on a schedule, and wherever we're going, I would really like to get there today.

For the last time, I do not intend to abandon you to a barren, friendless existence. If I put you in a turn-out pen, I promise that no predators will eat you, and I will come back in due time to return you to your stall. It is not necessary to run in circles, whinny pathetically, threaten to jump the fence, or paw at the gate. Neither your stall mates nor I will have left the premises. The other horses standing peacefully in adjacent pens amply demonstrate that it is possible to enjoy being turned out for exercise.

In order to reassure you, my dear horse, I have posted the following message on your stall door: "Notice to People Who Complain About My Horse"
1. I like my horse a lot better than I like people who complain about her.
2. To you, she's an animal; to me, she's a big, hairy, four-legged daughter --- and you know what they say about coming between a mother and her children.
3. This stall is her castle, and you are expected to treat her as the queen she thinks she is.
4. If you don't want her to steal your carrots, don't walk by her with the carrots sticking out of your pockets.
5. Horses are better than husbands or kids. They eat grass, don't smoke or drink, don't expect an allowance, don't voluntarily get their body parts pierced, don't hog the remote, don't waste the whole weekend watching football with their friends, don't talk back to you, don't compare you unfavorably with their friends' owners, don't keep you awake with their snoring --- and no horse ever left the toilet seat up after going to the bathroom.
Finally, in closing, my strong and gentle companion, I would like to point out that, whatever might happen between horses and their people, we humans will always love you. In fact, our bonds with you help create new bonds among ourselves, even with total strangers. Wherever there are horses, there will be "horse people", and for the blessings you bestow upon us, we thank you. Most sincerely yours, Your Owner

Poor baby....

I posted that Thai had a swollen leg, but that she wasn't lame on it...right?

WRONG!!! Last night, she was three legged lame! The leg is super puffed up from the hock down, and there is heat in front on the long bone between the hock and the ankle. (What the heck is that bone called anyway???) There is a scab about the size of a quarter, but it looks to be more than a week old. It was definitely NOT fresh when she stepped out of the trailer.

So, my chore in the lovely 30 degree weather, is to shave off the woolly fuzz on her leg and see if I can figure out what the heck is going on with the leg. I'll try to do that today, but if I don't get to it before dark, it'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Thai is the SWEETEST darling mare! I gave her bute last night by going into her stall, pulling her nose around, sticking it in her mouth and pushing the plunger. She didn't pull, toss her head, or anything. Just took her medicine, made a face, and ate it down without drama or theatrics!

This sweet girl is so tough, Cathy should call her "Thai Grrr"!

A NEW PROJECT!!! But first....

I'll get to the new project, but first, an update about me...

I didn't realise so many people read my blog. (blushing) Ok, not blushing, but still, I'm surprised.

Last week, my gramma (who is 94 years old) fell and broke her hip. She had surgery the day before Thanksgiving and was very relieved that we all had the "family thing" to do away from the hospital so she could finally get some rest. She was moved to the rehabilitation home on Saturday and is doing well.

Mike and I left Monday morning for the Oregon Coast. Newport, OR to be exact. We had three day of nothing to do and all day to do it. It was very relaxing! We actually made it to the beach to get sand on our shoes on our way home.

Ok...so not much of an update, oh well


NOW <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Cathy rescued a horse that was abandoned by it owner at a breeding farm. The whole story is kind of wierd, but that's for her to decifer.

So Cathy asks me Friday night (via e-mail) "Do you want a boarder for a month or so?" I said "Sure". Sunday morning, Kerrie arrived with "Thai's My Mama" (Or something like that.) A 23 yr old sorrel mare with the SWEETEST little face, who has been eating NON-STOP since she got here. "Mama" is SKINNY! In the pictures I got, (and that Cathy got) she didn't look too bad. When she arrived, she'd lost weight....like 200 pounds. (That's my guess, it might not be that much) Mama's left hind leg is also PUFFY - looks like she's wearing a fuzzy leg warmer, though she isn't lame on it.



UPDATE - I swiped the photo from Cathy, because she had one and I didn't. She is THE sweetest thing and has the most darling face! Cathy is going with "Thai", cuz this mare is done being a "mama"

So anyway...there you have it...a quick update and word about Thai!