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."

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.

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.

Sunday morning

I think Yukon needs a diet. Next photo...Hamilton looks better, but has a long way to go. Rio on this fine Sunday morning. A head shot of Hamilton. Hamilton's hooves after his pedicure. Our banty hen and her new chick "Spot"

I didn't sleep well last night. There is a particular horse on Craigslist that is headed no where good this morning and there is nothing we can do about it. Not enough room, not enough funds..........we have our limits and our limits have been stretched. It is gut wrenching sometimes. I tell myself over and over that I will not look at Craigslist ads...........but I am a Craigslist junkie I admit. I can only hope and pray that the little guy gets a kind buyer at the sale this morning and does not meet up with the kb's (kill buyers who take horses, ponies, donkeys, all shapes and sizes.........trained, untrained, old, young..........they don't see living creatures who feel, they only see dollar signs)

Not a good way to start my morning. Makes me grumpy. I make coffee, put the dogs out, feed the cats.........then I can't find a single coffee cup.......oh and why is that? Because I have probably left them all up at the barn. I go to the barn with coffee and then set it down and leave it. I should tie them to my coat or something.

Overcast and much cooler today. Easier to get the chores done........but I will still need coffee. I wonder if there are any cups in the garage???

Did I mention that I lost the lens out of my glasses yesterday? well, I did. I am blind as a bat. I normally wear contacts but in the morning, I just put glasses on. Long story short........I had contacts in, glasses in my pocket.........came in the house.......took glasses out of pocket.....missing a lens. Now how did that happen? I was watering plants. I retraced my steps......no luck. My husband says I am probably going to start a forest fire..........I have one spare pair of glasses......but of course they are repaired with duct tape......the gray kind.....and yes, it looks tacky......but hey, it was an emergency repair. I hate glasses and I have come to hate my contacts after all these years. I can spell L A S I K....I think.

gotta get going, find a cup and get to the barn........more later.

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.

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!