FFFFFFFFriday already?

The cold and wet continues......snow, rain, wind.....broken branches littering my yard. It is March and I am definitely ready for spring. I keep saying that like a mantra gone bad. It is funny how the sun can instantly lift your spirits....I was driving home yesterday at lunch and the sky was dark...then broke loose with an onslaught of hail which lasted for about five minutes........then just as suddenly over and the most beautiful blue sky appeared.........makes you remember that dark and menacing skies can morph to something beautiful in an instant. Nature..gotta love it.

Lizzie is done with her basic training and is ready to come home. We have two families interested in adopting her, so we will wait and see who raises their hand first....both are approved. That doesn't mean YOU cannot still raise YOUR hand!Lizzie was reported to be an angel for all of her training. We really cannot say enough good things about this mare. She is easy to load, good for her feet, bathes, clips, hauls nicely, learns quickly...no fuss. She even takes fly spray unlike some, umm.......geldings I know. Honestly, Ollie, who is from the track, will have you believe that he has NEVER been bathed or sprayed with fly spray...EVER....he is twenty years old and you would think he would be used to it by now. Anyway, I digress......Lizzie is healthy, friendly and a good sized mare........a great companion for someone.

Cooper is a prima donna. He does not like to leave his 12 x 24 stall......it is simply too wet and he prefers to stay inside and not let his huge feet touch the mud.
He has a nice big paddock, but it doesn't offer a full view of the other geldings and so he stays inside. He likes a pile of pellets to pee in, he needs his feed bucket fastened to the wall (or else he dumps it and hauls it around the stall).....He is wearing a blanket and obviously used to it. Maybe he has been someone's pampered boy at some time.....we will never know for sure.

I was called about six times this week for horses needing places to go. It breaks my heart to say no, but we are full until we have a completed adoption. I could raise my hand and have fifty horses, but financially we do not have the budget or the space or the man power. My volunteers work hard during the week to take care of what we have. We also have to remember that we provide feed for the pony down the street and for Yukon, who is in foster care. Yukon is too old now to be adopted..he is 25 and should have a semi retired life as he deserves. He is well cared for where he is, blanketed, huge pasture and two other horses for company. He still has get up and go....Liz still rides him every now and then. He is such a good and gentle boy....I am glad he has a good retirement. Anyway, we go through a lot of feed and make sure each horse gets just what they need every day......beet pulp, rice bran, timothy pellets, Strategy grain, good quality hay, ........most of our horses are on the bigger side and they eat a lot. So until we win the lotto, we have to take care of what we have, adopt out to quality homes when we can and take a horse in when we can....

The donkeys will be moved this weekend to their new paddock. They will be closer to my mom and she will have better access to them. They are putting some weight on, their hooves are now in much better shape, they are friendly and little beggars too. They hear the driveway gate squeak and they start braying because they know that someone is coming who could offer treats or scratches.

The pregnant mare is HUGE. She is not supposed to be due until June, but she is already as big as a house and an eating machine. She is shedding like mad......and we brush loose hair off of her daily.......it just keeps coming....so it must be spring, right? The mare is not fond of us touching her big belly, but touch it we do...and we love to feel "junior" kick....sometimes you can see the really big kicks. He is active, that is for sure.

Well, off to the races so to speak.....enjoy your weekend and think of us in the cold tomorrow.......we are doing a wiring project on the new shed, as well as matting the floors. I hope it isn't freezing outside...but more than likely, it will be raining, I am sure.

Pony Up fortune for today:

Do not fan the fire........