Saturday...Rio gets a family of his own

Up bright and early...horses fed,stalls cleaned, feet picked...feed buckets gathered for cleaning.

Then my angels show up...at our farm angel is spelled V O L U N T E E R...you have to love them. They show up and ask what they can do. So they cleaned up hay remnants, swept barn aisles, scrubbed buckets, filled waters, fixed the water spigot, groomed horses, helped with medicine dispensing, painted loafing sheds and ended with riding Sully (who was stellar by the way!) By 1 p.m. they were finished and then I waited for the farrier.

The filly got her racing shoes off...a small trim. She was very, very good and the farrier loved her. She also got a good grooming from Briann which she found pleasant. She is still so coltish in many ways. She loves to sniff your hair and she will do so for more than five minutes if you let her!

Everyone else got trims, except for Sully whose feet grow slowly...he was good while we checked his angles and gave him a once over.

Then it was time to make some more beet pulp, throw hay, give some treats and the later afternoon grain. I got done a little early and will go back to the barn around 8pm to lock the cats in and give Hamilton some more grain/mush.

We still have much to do to get ready for winter...the paddocks need graveling and geo fabric...some more painting to do, some drains to put in, some hoses to hook up, some plywood nailed in place. Gravel is expensive...we may get some oyster shell and use both. It makes a nice-draining surface which is fairly hard...just a matter of getting it here and moved around. You cannot do it by hand...way too much work. We are also putting a 10' x 10' cement pad outside the barn so that the horses have a place to stand for the farrier or vet or grooming or bathing or cold hosing...seems we are always doing one or the other or several. We will need railroad ties to set in place for the paddocks in order to keep gravel/oyster shell in place.

If it does not rain tomorrow, I will set up the forms for the cement pad and finish painting the loafing shed. We got some free paint from the side of the road...two five gallon containers...it is tan-colored...but really looks pretty good and because it was FREE...we love the color. We probably need to paint the front of the barn as well.

We got our donation boxes in the mail! We are ready to put some out and see how they work for us. We have a trial place for the first one.

I hope you all have a pleasant weekend!

Thanks to the Stiffeys for all the work they do on our behalf...what would we do without you?

Oh and the big mention of the week...CONGRATULATIONS TO BRIANN STIFFEY on adopting Rio! He is lucky to have such a girl as you and I know you will take good care of him. Briann...we love you!

Briann has been riding Rio for the last couple of weeks to make sure it was a good fit and last week she took a lesson from a dressage trainer...off the lunge line :)...Rio was good. He hauls great too. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday PM........long day

No help at the barn this week in the morning...Page is gone on vacation!

I had hay delivered at 11am, two tons of timothy...really good looking stuff. Winston taste tested just about every bale as it came by his stall. The hay men stopped and patted him every chance they got. "What a handsome horse!" they exclaimed..."and he is so sweet"...I simply nodded my head. Yes, he is a good boy and like a giant dog in many ways...but he has his moments...he definitely has his moments. I spared them the details...knowing they were not horse people...I just nodded and laughed.

I have Winston for sale. Very reluctantly. I love all my boys and I realize that I can't be everything, everytime, everywhere. Winston needs to be ridden more...needs to be someone's baby. I took him up to a nearby barn today and lunged him. He was brave. There were sprinklers going, papers flapping in the breeze and horses calling. He bucked some...he called back to horses that called to him...but he did as I asked. He loaded great...hauled great...he really is a nice horse. I have someone coming to look at him on Saturday. I feel sad. Someone will get a nice horse if I don't change my mind by then. I forgot how much work is involved trailering, tacking up, lunging, reloading the trailer...long day...but I feel strangely relaxed now. Funny...

Hamilton ate well today, I think he looks a lot better. We discontinued his Dex today and I am keeping my fingers crossed as to whether or not his appetite will diminish again. We still don't have a fast and firm diagnosis of his issue. He felt well enough today to "steal" a bale of hay off the newly stacked hay. When I came back with Winston, he was silently munching on a full bale in his stall. I guess I should have had they hay men stack it a little further out. It really won't hurt him to eat all the hay he can stuff down...so no harm, no foul...I am glad he feels hungry.

I bought donation boxes off of eBay this morning and we are looking for businesses to place them at. We want a particular business to "sponsor" a horse by giving us a donation box space. We will link the business to our website and give them updates on a monthly basis on "their" horse. Horses available are the filly, Rio, Yukon, Sully and Hamilton. Let us know if you have a location idea or know of a business who might be interested?

Tomorrow a trip to go and pick up feed. Hamilton needs Senior Feed and so does the filly...(gee, we need a name for her!) In the afternoon , we will take Rio and go to the local arena and work him a little. Briann will help me!

I cried for a long time after reading the Enumclaw auction report. So many good, gentle horses went to the kill buyers. Horses who were trail trained, family horses, ex show horses, one was a halter champion...what an awful end to their lives. Faithful, loyal family horses who are no longer wanted and so they end up on the slaughter bus. Horses who are scared and shaking as they enter the sales ring...they know what is coming. 75 dollars buys the meat on their bones and seals their fate. I will never understand it. I cannot attend the auction...ever...not until I win the lotto and buy a ranch with 200 acres and still have money to spare. I wish...I can only wish.

Pony Up's goal is to be able to help feed hungry horses this winter. We want an Equine Food Bank. We want to help folks keep beloved horses. Our goal is to have 25 ton of hay put away to help those who have hungry horses/ponies/mules/llamas.

Help us to help others. Donate and mark your donation for "food bank."

more pictures from the weekend

Pictures from the weekend

Wednesday evening update

Short work week! YAY!

We love long weekends, although in general we hate the 4th of July. Fireworks and horses do not mix and it makes for a long evening. I generally stay up until 2am with my horses to make sure there is no blood shed, no fence crashing and they feel better with me there. I will turn the music on in the barn, something with a rock beat and perhaps give a small tranquilizer to Ollie. Ollie really hates the noise and any visuals.

I worked with Sully, the un-stallion tonight. He had several days rest, but is ready to go back to work. I did some ground work with him and picked all his feet up. He is so little that his feet seem like they are made out of balsa wood. Nothing like the big warmbloods I am used to and I might add that all those big warmbloods WANT you to hold their full weight once you pick a foot up...just another reason I have big biceps.

Hamilton was a little fussy with food today. We backed off on his corn oil and he ate better for a while, then we added Gleam and Gain which he ate with good appetite...but today he was a little sluggish. Perhaps the heat? He has no temperature, no runny nose...we will watch him.

Beaver has made friends with Sully over the fence...no screaming this time, no striking...just some evil faces when the grain is passed out. Beaver does not get any grain and so he is desperate to take anyone else's grain. He is not shy about it. He has the large TB's trained to just give it up...but Sully is not so easy. It is good to see them hang together, even though they are separated by a fence they still stand next to each other during the day.

It is just coming dusk and the little one legged bird is at the window as I type. He still brings items to his reflection in the window...so sad. I have never seen him with a mate. He spends most of his time on our patio.

The weekend will bring more chores. Fencing...roofing, moving stall mats...the weather is supposed to be good and we are glad for that.

This weekend, I will ride Rio and Sully. I will not allow pictures of me and Sully...it will be like riding a pony. Nope...no pictures. I may ask my trusty assistant Briann to help me.

I had a dog fight in the house this evening. Jack Russell. Need I say more? How about Labrador ? How about jealous? How about blood?

More later...have a good evening!

Sunday morning guest blog

I promised to make Briann famous and here is her own Sunday morning blog. I am getting ready to travel to get Sully and attend obedience.

Thanks Briann!

Here you go:

Horses, Rescue, and Volunteering

by Briann S.

Horses... I could go on and on about them but I promise to keep it to a limit.

Horses to me are very important, for both life skills and companionship. The horses in my life are like my best friends, they are always there when I need them and I can talk to them, as long as I continue to feed them they will continue to listen! I'm sure most of what I say goes in one ear and out the other but sometimes its nice just to talk, let it out,you know? when I first arrived at Pony Up, Rosemary showed me Rio, I almost IMMEDIATELY fell in love, and when I turned around I suddenly felt something heavy on my shoulder, what do ya know, it was Rio! He rested his head gently on my shoulder, since then we have been BEST FRIENDS!!!

Rescuing...well I don't have much to say on this topic. But I can say that since we got the Arabs my dad, Rosemary and Page have really opened my eyes and taught me about tough love. It's a big part of life, and nine months ago I did not understand how important that is in life. You have to be able to understand when you rescue a horse you have to know what ever decisions you make, whether it's giving a horse away or sending a horse to those green meadows of eternal life, that they will always remember you as their life saver and care giver! Rosemary and Page have taught me so much,they are my inspiration!

Volunteering... Hmm... Well, I think volunteering is something you should want to do not be forced into it or do it because you will benefit from it in some greedy way.I always feel really good when I volunteer to do something, whether it's something as small as helping some one across the road or as big as donating money to a good cause. I love helping at Pony Up, I love the people, the horses, and the environment around me! Volunteering is a wonderful feeling at least I think, and at the end of the day I love to sit back and think how I have helped some one or something that day.

Saturday comes and goes...

We got a lot of work done today.

More boards put on the loafing shed.

Fence repaired with new post,

Roof on loafing shed waterproofed.

New gate installed on Winston's paddock.

Paddocks picked.

Water tanks cleaned and relocated.

Rio got a spa treatment from Briann.

We had a deer come to see us this morning......mommy and her baby........they watched us a while. I tried to get a picture, but could not sneak up on them. ...not ninja enough I guess.

Tomorrow I go and get Sully. I also have dog obedience so I will take the trailer to the Jones Farm, go to obedience and then go back and collect Sully. FUN!

Must eat dinner....more later.

Friday night

Hey, do I only have eight people reading this?! I endeavor to make it interesting and compelling...are there only eight of you listening?

Oh, well, it could be worse. I could be only writing to the walls so I am glad to write to eight of you if that is what my audience consists of in number. I am going to do something fun...I am asking my young teenage assistant Briann to write something for the blog tomorrow...something about horses and rescue and volunteering...how about it Briann? email it to me and I will make you famous! (with eight people!)

Hamilton looks better today and certainly feels better. I will get pictures tomorrow. Rio has bite marks all over him from Ollie, but you cannot separate them because they both scream and run the fence line. Go figure. Horse brains...small and complicated.

Everyone likes the new hay and it is going fast! There is currently no wasted hay, they eat every bite...that is how it should work, don't you think?

Tomorrow- lots of work. Wash the horse trailer, put up fencing for Sully, move stall mats into the new shed, put some more boards up on the new shed and did I mention that a couple of particular bay geldings chewed the boards? It looks like a pack of wild beavers have been visiting...really. I have to replace a board that is brand new.

We will lunge Rio again tomorrow and ride him a little, perhaps put some cavalletti poles up...keep your fingers crossed. I will also lunge Winston and I am sure that will be fun and tiresome (for me).

We are asked today to help a gelding at WSU...a bay TB no less. 16H, 6 years old. scheduled for experimentation at the vet school...no one wants that...his caretakers love him and report him to be a sweetheart. The vet school will sell him for 150 dollars...we need help to get him to safety. If you can help financially or if you can take him in...e-mail me? anything will help.

Have a great evening!

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.

---

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!

Saturday and we work

We got a lot done today! A new loafing shed was built for Sully in a group effort by my brother-in-law (Rod), Page, Briann and myself. We got it all done except for the roof and I will finish that up tomorrow...if it is not pouring rain. The weather held today and so we did not get wet or even too hot! Just right. Now we need to get the paddock built around it and get the stall mats put in it.......hang a feeder up and voila! we are ready for Sully.

I also got Rio out today with Briann's help and we tacked him up. Then we lunged him...what a good boy to lunge...very obedient...then I put Briann up on him and we walked him around practicing relaxation exercises, halting from her seat and learning gentle aids and gentle hands/quiet legs. Everything went well and we plan to make a schedule for him to come out, get some exercise and see how he continues to bond with Briann. Keep your fingers crossed as they both seem crazy for each other!

I don't think I posted it but I am a foster mommy to a chocolate Labrador retriever named Baylee. I have fostered lots of dogs and I am mostly a terrier fan, but I have never fostered a Lab before. WOW...24 hour fun is what this dog is. She loves the water, especially the hose AND MY KOI POND. The Koi pond seems to be fair game anytime my back is turned. I got her a kiddy pool today and although I am sure it is not as good as the Koi pond, it entertained her for a long while. She laid in it, pawed in it, drank from it and splashed in and out of it. When I get a new dog, I always take it to work in order to assess socialization and to have a little bonding...my guys at work love her....they walk her every couple of hours, bring her treats, show her off to customers and take her to PetSmart. She has it good I guess? I bought her a new Costco dog bed and it is on the passenger side of my truck so she can travel in comfort. We adore her!

Tomorrow I take my Rottie pup to obedience class. Seven week course. We are..or should I say I am looking forward to it.

Saturday night and we always have Mexican food....I have about forty minutes before dinner, so I better get the dogs fed and out of these "construction" clothes.

A big thank you to the work crew today.....it was fun! My brother in law rocks!

As I write this I am always thankful for the folks who help us out, donate their time and skills.....it means so much to us and the horses who depend on us. We meet great people and lifelong friends.

The un-stallion rides again (Sully)

The UN-stallion had another day of riding around the Jones Farm...look how GOOD he looks! He is definitely ready to have his own person...if you are interested in adopting him, please contact us. Adoption contract and fee will apply.

Rain,rain, go away...I hate to complain after all the nice weather we have had, but I really didn't need the rain today.

Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow and we can work most of the day on a new loafing shed for the UN-stallion. My brother in law is coming to help. Hey...he is a good worker and he does side jobs...he is a gas stove technician/heating/cooling guy. If you need some work done...email me? He also does door installation and some wood work.

I guess you are tired of him being called the un-stallion...me too...so he got a new name today. His name is Sully. YAY he has a name...!! How did I come up with that? well, let's see...he was so sullen for a few days...I actully called him so swollen and sullen...then sullen turns into Sully. yes...Sully. It is a good name for a nice little gelding.

Rio is going to work tomorrow...he will be tacked and lunged. We hope he will work like a soldier with a minimum of fuss. He certainly looks good and feels good. We will let you know tomorrow how it goes. Rio is ready for adoption as he does not need anymore rehab.

So now we have:
Rio
Hamilton
Simon
Gossip
Sully
Beaver
Yukon

Don't we come up with great names?

More tomorrow!

Monday up and at 'em again

Up early and to the barn, check waters, feed, chat with Page as part of our morning ritual.

I checked the bunnies and sadly one bunny is missing....no where to be found. The remaining bunny is active and now has his eyes open, I suspect he will be out of the nest with his mother tomorrow or the day after. Mother probably knows best about how to care for and raise her young. I am merely an interloper in her scheme of things. Hard to keep your hands off a baby bunny......so cute, so tiny.

Off to work and I call Chelsea on the way in, as we usually are driving to work at the same time for almost the same hour. We talk about Yukon, we talk about Rio and then we talk about Junah for a little while. We both get quiet and then try to talk about something else.

Finally at work, check emails and there is an email from my mom......"are you missing any hay?" Am I missing any hay???? HUH? The rest of the email reads that the neighborhood bald eagle has swooped down and grabbed hay, at least several times this morning. I had no idea that eagles wanted hay and I would like to suggest that he get the less expensive stuff out in the field. I email her back and tell her to take a head count of the chickens and the two barn cats.

Later I make the arrangements for Junah for later in the week and I feel very sad. People are good to us and we have offers of help for that day. A friend is coming with his backhoe and another friend will come to stand with us. The vet will arrange his schedule.

My mom calls later and says a doe is wandering the property.......she says the horses are mesmerized. I bet they are....

Up to Costco to get my new glasses and I get a spinach salad while I am there....of course you have to buy a VAT of it and so I take it back to share with my employees. Really good..it has black olives, pasta, spinach and parmesan cheese with a tangy dressing. I love pasta...but even I can't eat a VAT of it.

The end of the day comes, I drive home, talk to Chelsea again......make plans for our meeting tomorrow afternoon. Feed horses, lock cats in, check to make sure chickens have not been eaten by the eagle........then go and check the bunny.......he is fine, still no sign of the sibling. ...too bad.

tomorrow is another day.

Sunday morning

Winston playing with feeder

Junah

hammy

I slept hard last night and got a late start this morning. I had a long day yesterday. Fortunately, Page was on time and got everything done before I got there....I am lucky to have her. That meant that I got to do the good stuff, like hand out carrots and apples.

Yesterday, during the tractor work, a bunny nest was disturbed and one very tiny bunny found. He did not have his eyes open yet. We had him in the barn for a while but decided it would be best to try and reunite him with his mother. So we put him back near the nest spot in some hay and then hoped for the best. I checked on him this morning and he seemed fine, but then I found his litter mate.....dead ..and then a little further and I found another litter mate, very, very cold and still breathing a little. I knew he was too cold and so I picked him up, then called Page....."here, I said....put this bunny in your cleavage"...."he needs body heat"....Page never batted an eye, she put him under her shirt while I searched for any more bunnies. We saw the mother bunny dart off.

I made the decision that we should take the cold bunny to the my mom's house and warm him, perhaps give him a little warm milk with a syringe....so off we went. We had to pass through Beaver's paddock and he wanted to see what was going on, so he nosed us and then seemed to know that Page had the "bundle"...so he bit her. Beaver wants in on everything and he gets mad if he is cut off. We got out of there and went to my mom's house....heated a little bit of milk, put a drop of honey in it, put it in the syringe and I took the bunny and fed him a little. Then we put a wet rag into the microwave, heated it, placed it in a ziplock, wrapped it in a dry towel and placed the bunny on top of it (in a plastic bowl)...dramatic results...the bunny visibly improved and his color looked better.

Now, I know that little creatures are incredibly hard to hand feed and returning to mom is always best...so after observing him for about twenty minutes, I decided to put him back into a nest with his sibling rabbit. I trudged back through the pasture and into the woods, found the "hay" nest that we constructed for the other baby, and gently placed the other baby with his sibling. I then tightened the nest around them and deepened the nest, then built up the sides a little.
You always wonder if you are doing the right thing.

I went back to check on them about twenty minutes later......both bunnies were warm to the touch and moving and squeaking a little.

I have done what I could and I will hope for the best.

The horses LOVE the new hay and they have cleaned up every bite....then they beg for more.

Yukon is settled in at Chelsea’s and Junah was settled this morning. Junah is very intrigued by Beaver and Beaver makes threatening faces at him and rushes the fence at him. Junah just stares at him, like "what is that?"

We moved Hammy to the bottom paddock, so that he will have less to crib on....and then maybe burn less calories and just concentrate on eating.

It is overcast this morning, relatively cool...but I expect it will burn off and we will have a beautiful afternoon like yesterday.

I have yard work to do..laundry to do, dogs to walk...groceries to buy...and I still have farm work to get done. Some fence work, paddock cleaning.....and we still need another loafing shed (I love to build those!) It is just time consuming.

The un-stallion will be home and we will need a shed for him to call his own.

Next week we will take Rio up to a local barn and see how he reacts and handles. Keep your fingers crossed! We have a young girl who loves him. He needs a girl of his own.

Wednesday comes calling

Up at 4:30am, to the barn and then to an early work meeting... ...makes for a dull PonyUp girl.

Then back to the farm at 3pm for some horse dental work. Ollie, my own horse got his teeth floated today. He is getting older and unfortunately, so are his teeth. Anyway, the Dr. got them in sort of good shape and then I had to wait for the tranquilizer to wear off. So I had some time on my hands... ...hmmm... ...what to do? Got my new "used" saddle out and tried it on all of them, except of course Hammy...he is way too thin to think of putting a saddle on. So I put it on Rio and it is a good fit, put it on Yukon and he is too fat for it...yes, he really needs a diet...put it on Ollie...a little too tight in the shoulders and far too much tranquilizer to hold his neck upright. LOL oh and I forgot to try it on Winston, so I march up to his paddock and as I am marching, I say...oh, well, I should just lunge him...back to the barn, I get his bridle, the lunge line and oh, I better have a saddle pad and a saddle.

Really?

Winston is eager to be bridled...happy in fact. He puts his head down and takes the bit, I tie the reins up into the throat latch and attach the lunge line. He happily walks along beside me to the arena.

Did I mention that I didn't bring my helmet?

Did I mention that Winston is very happy that I bridled him?

Okay, we are in the arena, I take the lunge line in hand and ask him to walk out.

He does.

Why didn't I do this earlier?

Have I even mentioned that Winston is a lot like a hyperactive kid when he is first worked?

I ask for "trrrrroottttt"...

slight miscommunication.

I get a mach 1 canter.

Why didn't I bring my helmet?

I say..."t...rottt"..."easy now"...he is moving like greased lightning and is now in a state of euphoria and adds several bucks and kick outs to his mach 1 canter. His nostrils are flared, you can hear him breathing...gosh, he is really fast...

I think to myself for a moment that he looks like a racehorse gone bad.

He can no longer hear me and the cloud of dust between us obstructs my view.

I should have given this more thought.

I should have a bigger arena for such a fast moving BIG horse.

I probably was too tired to do this

I should have taken him to the trainer for a while.

did I mention he is 17hands and big as a full grown moose? Is my helmet anywhere close?

...

I give him a yank and tell him to quit being a jackass. He slows slightly...looks at me, rears, comes down, bucks hard and proceeds at mach 2 canter...he is squealing now...every time he bucks, he squeals and then kicks out.

I tell myself that I am cutting his grain down...tonight. ...maybe I am not going to give him any more grain at all...ever. NEVER.

Did I tell you that Winston is a Hanoverian?

Okay...enough, already. I get him down to a walk. He is dripping in sweat along with me...I tell him it is his own fault. I make him switch directions. He is tired now. He walks out, I ask him to trot...he trots nicely,...dare I ask for the

C A N T E R?

I do.

He canters beautifully, obediently...I ask for trot...he trots...I ask for walk...he walks...finally halt...very obedient.

phew.

we are done...

I tell myself that he needs to be lunged every day for the rest of his life if I am going to ride him again. I know that after three days of work, he is a solid citizen,but he needs regular work or you get this hyperactive thing...

Okay, to be fair, he is half TB...the half that encompasses his brain and speed controls.

I walk him back to his paddock, he is still really happy and he gets a bath...which feels good on this hot day. I give him fresh cold water in his tub and then turn him loose...he immediately goes and rolls in the dirt...then comes back for some loves...he is a very personable horse, loves grooming...gotta love him.

Update on the un-stallion. We had the vet out to see him today as he was depressed and not eating well. The vet cleaned his surgery site, gave him some antibiotics and then we put him out on some pasture with some other horses on his near fence line.
Hopefully this will make him feel better. The vet says it is not unusual to have older stallions have this....loss of hormones, change of scenery......he has been through a lot. Keep your fingers crossed and jingle for the boy.

have a good evening!

Another busy day coming

Up early on this Sunday morning, let the dogs out, fed the cats......I am listening to the coffee pot groan it's way through the brew cycle, noisy and yet strangely comforting in this big quiet house. My little sparrow friend has just arrived and is checking out the windows......I wish he or she could find a bird of their own. It must be lonely living with your reflection. Yesterday, he or she brought a small worm to the reflection and cast it to the ground, hoping to lure the bird out of the window. Kind of sad.

I have to go and get Winston today, then come home and work on the fencing arrangements.......we sort of started a remodel when I took the horse trailer through the back gate.......as it wasn't quite wide enough. Winston has been having daily attention and living at a nice farm, so it will be a let down to come back to my farm. This means I will move Beaver back to his pony stall and Churchie will get his big stall back. Beaver really likes having the big stall and is probably going to be a pill about moving. We have had several people inquire about adopting Beaver.......but they just don't know what they are asking.......he is trouble in a pony suit and must be managed.......he hates children........he hates dogs.........he usually hates the barn cats and he chases the chickens and has intent to kill them.and did I mention he is an escape artist?.......besides that he is a wonderful little pony. He potentially could be a guard pony I guess.

Today we will scrub water tubs out, clean stalls (never ending chore), rake some paddocks, clean up the hay area, sweep out the barn, comb manes/fly spray bodies and fix the fence up by the arena.

Tuesday the tractor comes and will groom the arena, cut some brush back, and move the manure pile. All volunteer work and we so appreciate it.

Saturday, the shoer comes for my horses, Yukon and Rio.....I will probably put shoes on Churchie......he has a club foot in the front and just generally bad angles. Rio has great feet and just needs a trim.

Page and I get roped into outside chores for my mother just about every Sunday morning. Something about a 79 year old lady out there attempting to lift something heavy or dig something or move something from here to there and then maybe move it back because it doesn't look right. Last week it was .........picture this.........she had the lawn mower out attempting to pull start it........Page and I looked at each other and said <"well, I guess we are mowing the lawn, aren't we?" This is a set up by my mother who manages to be outside the minute we arrive, and attempting to do something she knows I wouldn't allow......yes, a set up just for us. LOL. Page has a good heart.

enjoy your day...........take the brakes off your heart......life is short.

Wednesday

Hamilton improves a little each day. Physically it is hard to see change in a couple of days, but mentally it is easy to see. He calls to us at feeding time and stamps his hoof saying "hurry and get that food to me". He has a little light in his eyes........He continues to be very gentle, good about his fly mask, he moves over nicely when we ask him to so that we can clean around him.

In a few weeks we will give him a pasture buddy, probably Rio as he is kind and gentle.

I was hoping the sun would come out today but it looks like it won't happen..........the weather report says Friday which should make for a nice weekend. A weekend full of chores. The chores don't take a vacation! We still have painting to do, siding to put up, paddocks to clean and we have to move the chicken coop. Chickens are hanging out on my mom's porch and she prefers they go somewhere else. We had put the coop off to the side of her carport when the chicks were little, so that she could keep an eye on them. They are half grown now and we will probably give some of them to a new home as we really don't need 12 more Bantys.

If you didn't get a chance, read TB Friends this morning.......great blog and I love it when the kids write a paragraph or two....like reading a passage from a book that stays with you for a long while. You have to love the honesty, the passion and the sharing of the heart.

Junah has not had his neuro appointment yet, we are all on pins and needles, expecting the worst but hoping for the best. I guess it all works out in the end........someone has bigger plans than we mere mortals.

Page has been a HUGE help this week, as I have been under the weather. She is a trooper that is for sure..........not taking any guff from those Big horses of mine. She has everything under control. THANKS PAGE! And thanks to my mom too for giving the extra feeding to Hamilton.

Didn't someone say it takes a village?!

Hamilton Radar Jones is home

Hamilton Radar Jones is home. I picked him up Saturday. I was told that he "didn't load" and that it would take a long time to get him into the trailer. Nope. He loaded right up.......he actually loaded better than my Holsteiner......better than my TB.......and about as easy as my Hanoverian. No trouble, no balking, a little soft talk and some praise.......and in he went. He hauled nicely although he screamed all the way to anyone who would listen. It was a warm day so I left the jail bars up and windows down.

I promised I would be politically correct. His owners did the right thing by surrendering him and I will give them points for that. He is not in good shape. Per my agreement with the surrender, I cannot go into all details.
I can say this......he is happy today. He ate all night, cleaned up everything he was given and this morning he called out in a strong voice that he was ready for breakfast. He needs dental work, he needs hoof work, he needs weight and he needed a chance......which he now has.

Did I mention he brought friends? LICE...... I told Page that he had lice after she was petting him and she got "that" look on her face.........I said "don't worry, they might hop on you but they won't stay".........she said "good". I love to shock Page with these things...for just a moment anyway.

He also has bilateral stifle issues, which may be due to needing some muscle...we shall see.

oh, yeah........he windsucks too. Oh well, we don't mind, it could be worse.

A beautiful day today and in a little while I will go and scrub Hamilton's legs with some betadine cleanser.

I left the farm with all the horses enjoying the sun. Ollie and Rio were trying to get each others’ fly masks off. Churchie was laying in the damp part of the paddock. Beaver was teasing Yukon over the fenceline. Chickens were working the manure pile over. Did I mention the other Banty is setting on eggs in a secret location? She comes out to eat and then disappears. We really don't need any more chickens.......anyone want some? We have an assortment of 12 banty chicks........half grown....just raise your hand! Chelsea you don't have any chickens...Jenny......how about you?:)

enjoy your day!

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!

Thursday already...

The week flew by......work and horses and phone calls, and horses and work and more phone calls. We have had many folks call us this week asking if we can take horses......unfortunately we are full until we adopt one of our residents to a new family.

Rio and Gossip are ready to go and so we advertise and seek just the right family.....just the right person. We tell folks all they need to know and they tell us about themselves and we just wait to see how the magic between the horse and person goes. We are choosey.......we are particular. We put a lot of love and time into rehab. When a horse comes to trust us it becomes hard to turn them over to someone else. You never want anything bad to happen to them again....you never want to see fear or despair in their eyes again........never want them to be hungry or thirsty or hurt. We take applications and screen. It doesn't take a lot of money, it doesn't take a fancy barn, you needn't be a fashion model or a professional rider......mostly it takes common sense, committment, enough money to support a horse and some love....be honest about your limitations...we won't hold it against you....we want you to get a horse that is right for you.

So far the new paddock arrangements are working great.....everyone seems happy and sharing fencelines without any troubles........no fence crashing either!

We have to make better arrangements for the manure pile. Our working chickens do what they can to keep it turned over, but it is growing. Last year we had plenty of folks who wanted it for their gardens after we advertised on Craigslist, so I suppose we will do it again. When the tractor man comes we will create a new place for it.

We are going to pour a cement slab outside the barn, so that we can make a proper washrack/shoeing stand.....just another weekend project we have lined up.

I checked the hay supply today and we still have about 3 ton. Seems like the price is a little cheaper. I must say that our hayman is so good to us....he always gives us a deal and he always donates to our fundraiser. We are checking into buying from a feed manufacturer for bulk buys of beet pulp and grain....seems like we can save some money that way.

Baby chicks are almost fully feathered now, scratching for bugs and begging for treats. I found the hen sitting on the workman's tailgate with him, begging for parts of his sandwich....and he was giving it to her. She is the one who runs to any car or truck when it comes in, so that she can check you for food. Hopefully she will teach the chicks to stay away from the pony. He stomped a chicken last year when it tried to get near his hay. We are not fond of this trait....however he keeps coyotes and stray dogs out of the pasture and away from the chickens. Mr. Watch Pony.

Enjoy your weekend........

Pictures from the weekend

Beaver the Pony Up mascot!
 

My Hanoverian Winston.

Rio, eating breakfast.