Tuesday.......we have a tractor!

Pony Up North bought a tractor today! A John Deere 770, used, but just the right size......with accessories! A good friend of mine picked it up for me and took it home to give it some "maintenance" and a once over. YAY!!! We really needed a tractor and got a great deal (I think and my friend thinks so too)

Sunday I had a quite a scare at the farm. I was feeding breakfast and Beaver was anxious. He hates it when Sully gets his hay first......he does his best to reach over Sully's stall and bite him, so Sully kicks at him and I yell at both of them and so it goes,they eventually settle down.........usually. This morning was no different........Beaver bit, Sully kicked, I yelled and Sully kicked again...and then I heard it. THE NOISE. The noise of wood pulling back and forth.........no more kicking. I was headed back into the barn, but heard THAT NOISE and turned around.......quick stepped back to Sully's stall. I expected to find that he had kicked through the plywood siding.....and THAT would have been bad enough.....but what I found was that he kicked the plywood siding and the 2 x 4 brace away from the post......and his leg slipped through the space he created when he kicked........the plywood flexed, his leg slipped through and then the plywood went back into place........holding his leg against the post. He was pulling against it and it would not budge. Enter ADRENALINE.........enter the thought "there is no one here to help me"........Run for the tack room for tools........door is locked.......run to the truck.........run back to tack room, unlock the lock......throw open the door, grab the hammer with the long claws........all the while calling to Sully to be a good boy...........easy does it.....run back to his stall and consider hitting myself in the head with the hammer.......I am going to have to pull the whole wall out.........I am on the outside of the stall, holding Sully's hoof in my left hand, telling him it is okay.........if he freaks out I am toast......there is NO HELP......I have to do this, no time to call anyone........Sully could break his leg or mortally wound himself. I am now Arnold Schwartzeneger........I take the hammer in my right hand and I put the claws under the two by four and I RIP it off of the post............voila.......I push Sully's leg back and down. My heart is pounding. Sully is such a good boy......he continued to eat his hay all the while that I held his foot. I go around and back into his stall. He is bleeding, his leg is scraped up......nothing deep enough for stitches. I halter him and he gets a cold hosing of the leg. Then I apply ointment, then pressure wrap it. Then he gets some bute. Then I sit down..........collect my thoughts..........then I replace the wall with a better wall. Two hours later..I am done. Fortunately I bought extra 2 x 4's the other day....wasn't sure why but thought I could use them for something ...!

I really always try to be safe......I try to have an eye for "things" that look dangerous. I am conservative where other people throw caution to the wind. I am a grandma mentality sometimes. Honestly.......Sully came from a farm that was a danger with a capital D......sheetmetal exposed, barbed wiring, jutting pieces of metal, broken boards........you name it....but he never got hurt and yet he gets his leg caught in his stall. Perhaps I should be drawn and quartered.......turned into the ASPCA .......who would have thought he could kick that hard? Not me. He is little. He is like a pony.

All that being said, it is a testament to his good and brave nature that he did not struggle and break his leg or pull skin off or tear muscles or some other atrocity....he was calm, he was eating hay and waiting for me to "fix" it. Some other horses (not named here) would have FREAKED out. Winston???....he would have taken the structure down and maimed himself..........with certainty.

I am happy to say that today (Tuesday) Sully's leg is fine, no swelling and he is no worse for the wear. I , however, am now looking for things.......dangererous, critical things........objects, rough spots.......divits.......you know there is something, right?

With all that being said..........one of the most dangerous things on any farm...........electricity.....I mention this seriously. Winter is coming and we will use electricity to keep ice out of troughs, to provide light in the dark hours..........make sure your circuits are GFI (ground fault interrupter) protected so that your horse or yourself cannot be electrocuted. Horses mess with things.........like de-icer units........and the added feature of water will make a really dangerous combination.....don't take a chance! Also exposed extension cords are an attractive and dangerous nuisuance..........cover cords so that they cannot be chewed........replace extension cords with frayed or cracked insulation........keep light fixtures mounted where lips cannot reach them.........barn wiring should be covered with conduit in areas where horses have access........you should have tube guards on fluorescent lamps so if they fall, they will not shatter all over the place. Horses will mess with light switches (just think about Beaver....my pony). The first thing he did when he got to my barn is to learn to flip the light switches, then break the switch cover off.......exposing wiring..........I had to block his access with WOOD. I could never figure why someone would put switches in harm's way? Get a qualified electrician to fix electrical issues. Electricity can kill.........don't take a chance