How did Wednesday get here already? (Edited late pm)

I am only writing for a moment...I am LATE...I went to bed late, I got up LATE and I am just plain late. I got the dogs out for their run, coffee made and now I must jet around like a crazy woman...get to the barn, get to work on time and get some things done!

Contact vet about dental floats.
Call about oyster shell...wonderful draining material, cheaper than rock and FREEEEEEEEE!
Make sure we have a feeder for Thursday pm.
Buy feed today.
Send some thank you notes out.
Make plans for Saturday chores.
buy arena fence posts
call tractor man to come and auger holes for new fence.
paddocks must be picked/dragged
rocks picked from arena
hotwire put up for Beaver
buy another fence post hole digger....honestly, we got one from Lowes last week and what a hunk of junk......I had no idea that one post hole digger could be different from another but ..it picked up about a tablespoon of dirt at a time...no good! I think Page should have her own.

It never ends...constant chores...not complaining and glad to do it or have it done.

We have horses ready for adoption! Sully, Rio, Simon Beaver(?)...no, not Beaver...but really, if he escapes one more time...I might mull it over...all are ready for new parents who will love them, feed them and care for them! The healthy ones must go so that we can help others and we have folks knocking at our door each day, so we either need room, or a bigger farm or possibly to have our heads examined.

Again, we are thankful for our volunteers and the folks who support us in donations...we could not do it without them. Hug your volunteers today...they are special people with big hearts!

I promised a Beaver story.

A year or so ago, I was at my other farm, had a horse with a temperature, so I called the vet on my cell phone. Then I put my cell phone up where I could easily hear it ring. I proceeded with chores...cleaning stalls, raking paddocks...some time passed and I wondered why the vet had not called back. Hmmm...maybe I didn't hear the phone? I should check the phone...now where did I put it? On the stall wall? No. On top of the food bin? No...where the heck is it? oh, I put it on the top of a wood fence post...but where? I can't find it. I am losing my mind.....I check the truck, I check my pockets...I look in the barn, on EVERY fence post. I must have dropped it? No...as I look up, I see that Beaver has it in his mouth...standing and facing me...chewing it. He is on full alert. I tell him to drop "that phone" and I lunge for him.......he, of course runs...he runs like the wind with my cell phone still in his mouth...I chase him out into the orchard and I get close enough to almost grab it...and he is off again, back to the paddock and loafing shed. I run back up the hill after him. He stops in his paddock, right in front of his stock tank and looks at me...I say "c'mere Beavey...come on, I have a treat...give me that phone! He puts his little pony ears up, gets a really cute look on his face and promptly drops my cell phone into the stock tank...then looks at me. I dive in after it...but of course it is too late. The Treo Palm phone is not waterproof...not pony proof...I shake the phone, I take the back off...but it is too late...a trip to the bottom of the tank is not good for an electronic device.

Beaver stands in one spot, very proud of his accomplishment. I tell him he is going to the fox farm...I tell him the phone is worth more than he is...I then run to the house to call the vet, in case he has called while the chase was on and now that he CANNOT call because my phone does NOT WORK!!!

That is the type of pony he is...I have a million more stories.

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Late Wednesday pm...Pony Up girls rock...Briann and Darlene came out and helped me feed...then we put the roof panels on the new loafing shed and braced the underlying supports. What a big help they were. Now we need to patch some nail holes, put some mats in the stall, attach a feeder...put some paddock fencing up and we are ready for Sully. Oh and we got another wall of plywood up (thanks Jan!) in Beaver's stall.

almost 9 pm and I have more stuff to do here at home.

Goodnight!

We say goodbye to Junah

Thursday P.M.

A nondescript day that starts much the same as most other days...we feed, we clean, we go to our real jobs.

At 3 pm I leave my office to come home to the farm because it is time to say goodbye to our precious boy Junah. The backhoe came last night and dug the grave.

A quiet time, no fan fare, no hysterics. I feed Junah a full measure of oats and throw him some hay, pat his face...feed the others and fill water tubs. Then I go and sit with Junah in his paddock. I sit on the large hay bale, he eats and comes and visits me every now and then. I observe and study him...wanting to see something that can put a stop to what I know is coming...some miracle of sorts. What I see is a very ataxic Junah. He played hard yesterday along the fence, even had a few bucks and his body is paying for it today. He buckles his legs under himself a couple of times and stumbles. He picks his hinds up and swings them in a circular motion. My miracle is not going to happen. I know we are doing the right thing but wonder why the "right thing" seems so hard?.

I wait and listen to the quiet...Junah crunching hay...birds singing...a crow scolding in the distance. I am not going to cry...I won't...not right now.

The vet comes up the driveway, my heart sinks a little and I swallow hard......time is up...I go to meet him and direct him to the upper paddock. Just the two of us and Junah. Junah is very suspicious of this new person and blows/snorts his displeasure. I snap a lead on him and take him out by the grave. I pat him and tell him he is brave and such a good boy...he gets a tranquilizer and he visibly relaxes. I stroke his nose and ears, give him a kiss, tell him to not be scared...and then the vet administers the final syringe of what will take Junah away from us for good.

It is over in less than a minute.

I sit with him for a long while, then we cover him until the tractor can come. I walk the vet back to the front...say my goodbyes and thank him.

I walk up the back road to the neighbor and ask if he can come now...but he is eating dinner and so we must wait a little bit. I walk back down to the farm and I sit with Junah again. I pull the cover back and away from his head...I am still struck by how beautiful he is, even in death....and then I close his eyes, pet his face and I cry. He was so young and so short changed.

Chelsea and I have loved him probably more than he was ever loved in his short life...and so did Hana, his guardian angel.

No more pain, no more discomfort...you don't have to be scared anymore Junah...rest in peace. I hope you are running like the wind somewhere beautiful.

Love,
Rosemary and Chelsea

Special thanks to my vet and the kind neighbor and his wife who brought the tractor down to bury Junah..the wife stood with me and it was comforting......and also thanks to Jerry for digging the grave. Sandy, thank for the tremendous effort on Junah's poor feet...you worked miracles on them.Chelsea......thanks for your time, your heart, your love for this boy......I am sorry we couldn't "fix" him....if love had been the cure.....we surely had enough to go around.

Wednesday morning Un-stallion report

The un-stallion got ridden outside and around the farm this morning ...see pictures...he looks great and is feeling good! He has come a long way and we are still proud of him for all he has gone through. Look how handsome!

He is ready to start considering adoption. Now who will consider him? He needs an experienced horse person of his own. He is ready to learn about trails, maybe English disciplines or heck...he might just like western pleasure. Please email us if you are interested in adoption of this gorgeous boy! He is healthy and happy...hooves are in good shape, de-wormed, teeth done...what more could you ask for? He will be coming back to Pony Up north at the end of June and ready for his own adventure.

I cannot believe it is already the 17th of the month. June has absolutely flown by. The projects are coming along and piling up as well. We need to construct a loafing shed for the Un-stallion, so that when it rains he can have shelter.

We are making proposals and cost estimates for enlarging the arena. We need about 81 yards of sand and we need some of the ecological blocks to make a partial retaining wall. It seemed like a little project but suddenly got more complicated...what's moving a little dirt around? Obviously more than we knew.

At any rate we need to get going on it before it is winter again. It really won't be long at this rate.

We also have a patch of fencing to put up for the new pony paddock, some more brush clearing and some re-seeding. We need a Noble or a Behlen shelter for Pony Up South.....so we can squeeze in one more!

Anyone who wants to come and volunteer for any projects, simply let me know...bring your hammer...we have nails and we have boards. The Stiffey family is probably tired after all the hours that they put in.

Say a little jingle for Yukon, he is suffering from really sore feet and we are not sure yet if it is a founder or just sore flat feet.

Oh and by the way...hello and welcome to the fold to our newest volunteer, Dawn...she is currently helping out at Pony Up South (Kapowsin)...WELCOME!

more later.

Junah comes home to Pony Up North

Saturday...we cleaned stalls, filled waters, mounted a couple of gates, blew the barn aisle out and moved horses around to accommodate the brush cutter and Junah's homecoming.

The brushcutter was brought in by Jason (he is our hero) and he spent all day cutting into the dense brush of the woods, so that we can make an extra paddock for the evil Beaver pony. We are so thankful for the hard work and effort! The brushcutter will now allow us to enlarge the arena and make a new paddock for Beaver.

Meanwhile I went and got Junah from Chelsea's, so that we can have him buried at the farm. He deserves that. I also took Yukon to Chelsea so that she can put him on a diet and exercise program, as apparently I am unable to get any weight OFF of him! He traveled without a fuss and when he got to Chelsea's, he simply unloaded and went onto the pasture and started eating...such a low drama boy he is. Then we loaded the very handsome Junah into the trailer, he loaded fairly well after a little coaxing...he has come to love Chelsea and wants to please her, so he is fairly willing to do what she asks him. We shut the divider on him and then hit the road. He was a pill for about 10 miles...kicking and moving, swaying the trailer like crazy and I had a few thoughts of turning around. I don't mind my trailer being kicked but I did worry about him falling or scrambling. Fortunately he settled down and we got home, unloaded him and let him explore the paddock and arena turnout.

I have not spent a lot of time with Junah, even though I was the one who "nodded" and brought him into the fold. After I got him home today, his physical disabilities became very obvious. He cannot lay down. He was sweaty and he really wanted to roll, but he simply cannot lay down. ...he tried and he tried. He squealed his displeasure, he pawed, he got on his knees...but he could not lay down. My heart sunk and tears welled up. I have not had to spend time with him,I spent time with him the day he was picked up, but he went directly to Chelsea's... I have not really fallen in love with him like Chelsea...but I did today. I was hoping for a miracle of sorts. I thought I would drag my feet on the euthanasia. I talk a big show...but my heart is perhaps more fragile than most, even if I am not willing to show it. He is so handsome, such a love...but so physically incapacitated. Hard choices, hard decisions...but I remember responsibility and commitment...I remember rational love. This is a time for rational love...and so I will make the arrangements and we will all be there for him, for his last moments, to send him with love and soft words...to a place where we hope he can be free of the physical trappings of this world...we will see him again...on the other side.

I surely figure that on some days, on some level, I am crazy. Crazy to ask for this heartache...crazy to take on such a task.

I will make the arrangements for this coming week. I will steel my emotions to the outside world and I will say that it must be done, no more wishy washy thoughts...we have had a work up...and then I will stand with him,I will thank the vet, I will thank the grave digger... then I will go and grieve by myself. I will cry for a long while and wish I could change what was and then know that I couldn't. Junah, we hardly got to know you before we said goodbye.

hug your horse today.

The weekend is here again

Wow.......the week flew by and there is plenty to do tomorrow. Hamilton Radar Jones will be picked up and transported to the North farm. One of my own horses will be moved in order to accommodate Hamilton. Winston goes to another barn for two weeks. He is not a good companion for a rehab horse.

There is hay to be bought, an extra de-wormer, some supplements and probably some other things after I have a good look at our newest guest! I am told he is thin and in his pictures, he does look thin......although I personally know that the camera adds lbs to horses and in person they can look much worse........they never look better. Sigh. I am told he is friendly. So tomorrow I will go and load him up and bring him home. Another bay horse. It is kind of funny.......I have nothing on the farm but BAY geldings......is that some sort of kharma for me? I have to admit to always being drawn to a bay horse.....any variation of bay will do....but then add TB to the mix and I am set. I should have called this BAY TB Gelding rescue and rehab. LOL.

We will evaluate him, put him on a feeding program and then give him a few weeks to put some weight on and get his mind in a better place.......then we will evaluate him under saddle.

I am told he trail rides and so I think once he has weight on, he will be easy to place.

I am sad to report that I lost a friend this week. Life is short...so short. You regret things you said or you wish you had said them differently or more kindly. You wish a lot of things.......I don't know how else to say it.........and we probably all regret some things or some aspects of our lives. This is not a dress rehearsal.......you have one shot. I did a lot of soul searching and then I called another old friend and made apologies for an anger between us. I didn't give up my values but I did give up the anger and remembered to value the good that had been between us.

I will give up the preaching now.......but my point is LIFE IS SHORT>>>>>LOVE HARD and LOVE WELL.

enjoy your weekend!

Voila......new fencing!

4:45 Sunday pm.........I am taking a breather! We got thirty posts augered in and the fencing restrung.......metal posts pulled up (by hand) and the new wood fence is almost complete. We have some short sections in the pony pen to do and we need to expand the arena by about 15 feet. Our current arena is outdoor and is a little too small for big horses to work in. We will plan on new footing also. We are looking at some of the footing that is commercially available and so far Dover seems to have some that will work for us.

The horses were superstars today........three went into the arena, and the other two moved over to the far paddocks. No one was naughty. The three in the arena played well together, groomed each other and then napped in the sun.

We had two really great offers from private individuals who will work with our rescues......one is a bodyworker and the other an up and coming trainer in his own right! We are excited.

We also have a vet who has offered to do teeth so that his working students can get some practice! More on that when we take them to him. I must say that we are very fortunate to have some professional folks helping us either at no charge or for low cost. We always ask permission prior to providing links to their business......so we have asked and we will list those that want to be recognized! We are very grateful.

The guy with the tractor today was so nice........he gave us a discount and he was very patient when we changed our minds on where particular posts went...we moved one twice. He moved the manure pile too. We highly recommend him.....very reasonable rates and good work too!

enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

news!

We were contacted by the IRS and our 501c3 status is approved. We should recieve the letter this coming week!

This weekend we are re-fencing the paddocks. We purchased wooden posts today and have a tractor coming tomorrow to auger the fence post holes. We have thirty to start with and more coming in the future. No more metal fence posts.........too dangerous, especially with big horses who like to stand on their hind legs and play.

It was a gorgeous day today ........Page and I cleaned paddocks this morning and swept the barn out. I cut Ollies mane and combed out his very long tail. He looks more like the old show horse that he is rather than a wild mustang off the range. No matter...he is the most handsome horse I have ever had.

We have big plans to paint the exterior of the barn and the inside too.....we have a very small barn for right now...but it works......we use every inch of it. We have a microwave and a table and a drug dispensary area. We think we can do without the table and maybe put a bench in where we can easily put our boots on and maybe use it to rest between chores!

Mud dried a little today and next week we will begin the de-mud process with the paddocks. Gravel, road fabric and timbers.......voila.......no mud.

We must also re-roof Beaver's shed. It really looks like non professionals did it and well, truthfully.......non professionals did. ...Page and I. I mean.......It IS functional, it doesn't leak but it does look odd. Did I mention that Page hammers nails like a girl? LOL.

Church (the Holsteiner) let himself out of his stall the other night......there was really nothing for him to get into, but he turned everything over and nosed his way through the trash, left us several piles of poop. He met Page when she came to feed in the morning but obediently went into his stall when she asked.

So much to do on the weekends, we must write a list and prioritize it and reprioritize it as the week progresses. Things change that is for sure.

In the next week, we will bring Junah to the north farm and take Rio to the south farm. Junah needs to use the arena to stretch his Thoroughbred legs........keep your fingers crossed that he keeps his shoes on!

We had a good week of volunteers who want to help.......we have an offer of training for Junah and another offer of grooming and ground work for Rio.

We really love Rio. Such a great horse in so many ways.......he has blossomed at our facility....he is friendly, calls to us and loves to be groomed now.

We have an offer from a local vet to treat our fosters at a great price for dental floats and health checks. More on that later ........we love to give credit where credit is due!

Have a great week.......do something meaningful for yourself or someone else!