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.

The Stallion arrives at the Jones Farm

The Reeves’ dog Bo......isn't he handsome? The hotwalker at the Jones Farm. The stallion is his new stall. The beautful barn......so clean and organized. Looking out of the jail bars on his stall.

Saturday morning and here is another update of the stallion chronicles..... we got up bright and early, got our chores done and then it was time to load up the stallion for his second trailer ride.

About 9:30am, we took the trailer up to the arena, drove in, opened the trailer.....then I caught the stallion, tried a couple of halters on him that were too big......but I really wanted a leather halter on him for the trailer ride, so I finally found one that would work. I had Page fill the hay bag and hang it. Then it was time to see if the boy would willingly load. I asked him to come forward and then Beaver started screaming......the stallion called back to him...... I had Page go back and lock Beaver in a stall. I asked the stallion to walk around a little then brought him back to the trailer....asked him to step up........he did, then he got in and then turned around and got out. No worries. I asked him again, tapped him on the behind and he got right in.......we shut the door and we were on the road.

Thanks to Bonnie for coming down to help us and sorry for the wasted trip.....I actually got him loaded before Bonnie got there.......but it was nice to have help on the way if I would have needed it.

The stallion hauled nicely, no screaming , no drama.....we drove for about an hour and got to the beautiful Jones Farm around 11am. He unloaded very nicely........no screaming, no misbehavior and walked right into his stall like a pro. We are very, very proud of him.

Monday, the gelding will be done and his teeth also. I am sure he will be sorry he got in the trailer come Monday afternoon. Tuesday morning he will have a regimen of exercise to prevent swelling in the surgical area. He will be rinsed with cool water and walked. They will take very good care of him.

We drove home, stopped at Stroh’s, got a couple of items , then drove back to the farm, unhooked the horse trailer, checked waters........sighed.....time for a nap? I have chores at home but will go back to the barn for pm feeding around 6pm.

gorgeous day......

He has come very far in just a week.

Friday

Wow.....the end of the week already......I must say I would be a fan of a four day work week if I could arrange it. I am enjoying the weather and the fact that the paddocks are dried out and we can start on Mud Management 101. We have road fabric and gravel to place in each paddock to prevent the mud we experienced last winter. I am not looking forward to spreading gravel....so I hope we will have a tractor available. Jason has offered to come and help us with tractor work, so this might be one of those times......

The stallion is going to go to the Jones Farm tomorrow (small change of plans) and so early tomorrow morning I will hope that he is as willing to get in the trailer as he was previously. He is very food motivated. Actually he has been very well behaved at my place........we are proud of him. I am excited for the opportunity he has. This has come together very nicely due to so many folks........thanks to the Stiffeys, The Jones Farm, Dr. Tooman and the Kitsap Humane Society.

The old gelding is coming along. He was a little depressed. Probably the change, medication and the injury. He is in the best of hands and getting quality care by Chelsea, so I have high hopes he will come along. He is 25....but besides being thin, having bad skin and that nasty cut, he is not bad. No obvious lameness and he has a great disposition. Easy to handle. I love the older guys.

The Stiffey family donated money to us that will be used to do the stallion's teeth. He needs his teeth done prior to introducing a bit and so we thought we should do it with the gelding procedure. Poor guy....but he is strong and he will get through it.

It is a gorgeous morning......blue sky, birds singing. As I write this a sparrow is tapping and flying against our window to "meet" his reflection. This has been going on for a week. He or she is in love with the reflection in the window! I have had to draw the blinds so that he/she will stop, but he/she just moves to the next window. I had all of the blinds drawn for a while, but it spoils the view. I might have to put a fake bird out there. I don't get it, there must be plenty of other available birds out there.

My own horse, Winston is coming back from a two week trial at a potential new home. Turns out he is not going to make a jumper.....nope, he is a dressage boy. Very showy and pretty. We have missed his antics while he was gone. So again, we will move horses and paddocks around. We are full to the brim. With all the time I spend with the rescues and working a full time job, I have very little time to ride.....such a shame for Winston to sit idle as much as he has........so I either get more time or sell him. Hard decisions...hard choices.

Not to mention the fact that someone stole my saddles back in April. Pryed the lock off of my tack room and got a few power tools, plus my saddles. Talk about heartsick......my custom Schleese made for Churchie and my schooling saddles. Hard to ride without a saddle. I hope they did not get thrown away in the woods or somewhere. Makes me sick to think about it.

Well, I am off to feed, then work.

Enjoy your beautiful day. Do a random act of kindness for someone .......we all could use it.

Down to a dull roar

Chelsea got the gelding home and cleaned up (bathed and trimmed).....he had a very bad odor which we originally thought was his skin infection......upon further inspection the poor old guy has a severe laceration on his penis. (ouch!) The old farm was strewn with metal objects, old wire, old fence posts......you name it. We think because he was so itchy he was rubbing his belly and came in contact with some barbed wire or a sharp metal object. The vet does not want to stitch it as sutures tend to irritate the sheath, so Chelsea has cleaned it really good and medicated him. Keep your fingers crossed that it heals.....he is a nice old gelding. Bless Chelsea for taking him in and making him comfortable.

The stallion has settled in and quit stalking my geldings, although he still calls to them every once in a while. He ate all his hay and grain......no tummy upset from his de-worming and he was quite polite this morning.

We have found a experienced vet who will geld him for 372.50 dollars and we are happy with the price. We have approx 150 dollars towards his gelding procedure and hope to raise the rest this week, so we can go forward with our plan for him.

Beaver was locked in all night and as of this time, he has not escaped again, but there is no telling what a hungry tummy might bring. He gets only timothy hay and when he sees grain being distributed.......well, his evil twin takes over.

Hamilton had to move down a paddock and he was no drama queen, he settled in nicely and did not make a fuss. He is just happy to eat.

Drea Bowen has volunteered her services to us and will come this weekend to work on Hamilton and Rio. Thank you Drea!

We also have Krista Davis who has offered us 5 portrait sittings to raffle off, in order to raise funds for the stallion's gelding procedure. She is a fine photographer and this is a great opportunity to us! Thank you Krista. Please let us know if you are interested?