Pasture and Mayhem

I'm exhausted beyond belief today for no apparent reason (other than having a nine month old at home). I wasn't sure if I'd be able to put the horses out on the lawn yesterday. We've had a bit of rain and it's glorious. In previous years, a sprinkle would send me into the house. After a terrible drought last year, I was pretty hard pressed to head back in doors due to a few tiny sprinkles. But we did get some substantial rain Saturday night. We've had overcast skies since then and a few more rain showers. I'm hoping we can continue with the gentle rainshowers with rain falling staright down instead of horizontal. But I won't complain either way. We are getting moisture (and not in the form of feet of snow!)

I normally let the horses out onto the pasture over Memorial weekend but that's not going to happen this year. After reseeding the pasture, we have at least another month before we can let the herd out. I'm disappointed and hadn't figured on an extra month. Now I either have to go in search of hay that I can't afford or go and beg the neighbor to see if he'd be willing to rent his pasture for a month. I'm hoping on the later but I hate to ask. So if you happen to drive by the Sanctuary and dont' see horses, it's because they are stuck in the drylot until either our pasture comes up or they are at the neighbor's.

After putting Bo in with the big herd (and keeping an extremely close eye on him), Mike suggested that I pull Mayhem out of the bigger pen. Here I was hoping to be free of an extra pen. So I moved Mayhem to Bo's pen next to Babe. For the first 24 hours after Bo was gone, Babe was upset and constantly whinnied. When I put Mayhem in, she constantly whinnied (and Babe stopped whinnying).  I think it's a good move. Mayhem was picking up Rabbit's bad habits and that is NOT allowed (although I am trying to work with Rabbit to break her of her crabby habits). But now that Mayhem is in one of the front pens, I see her every time I look out the window. Which makes me feel guilty. So now I've decided I better start working with her. Oh sure some day soon I'll send her to the trainer's but until then I better start messing with her. She's three and no where near ready for much. I'd prefer to make the training experience go smoothly and easily for both the trainer and Mayhem. That way, maybe the trainer can put a few additional queues on her. We'll see.

Saturday Pictures

Last night I had just a short window of opportunity to work on getting temporary fencing up for the herd. I was able to get the herd out last night for just a little bit and again this morning. I think the horses were happy to get out. I know Bo was mad that he didn't get to join the herd last night so I put him in the herd this morning. He's now in with the big herd. Fingers crossed that he wont' come up lame. I think some of his issues may stem from his hooves. He's due for a trim too. I also let Rabbit out this morning too. I was hoping being out on grass might help with her heaves.

You know what these stinkers did both last night and this morning. Half the herd tried to snitch Babe's hay and alfalfa. All the grass they could eat and they'd prefer to eat hay. Crazy horses.

I'll leave you this afternoon with a few pictures from last night and this morning.

 Dude and Chaos

 Maverick and Jim

 Zeke

 Ivan, Jim, Brego (and Dude's butt)

 Jim after he discovered that I'd opened the door.

 Ivan

 Ivan, Brego, and Chaos

 Zeke, Maverick, and King

 Maverick, Ivan, Brego, and Bo

The Sanctuary

Remembering TenMan and Blondie

Five years ago today we said goodbye to our first auction save, TenMan, and our first rescued mare, Blondie. I have no digital pictures of TenMan and only one digital picture of Blondie as that was back in the days when we didn't have a digital camera yet.

TenMan was a rescue from the Sioux Falls Regional Livestock Horse Sale. We rescued the little bay for $10. The only reason we got him was because the auctioneer, after running the price down asked "Would anyone take him for $10?" Of course I raised my hand. :-) I remember the experience. Having to go home, hook up the trailer, drive back to the auction, load an unknown horse into the trailer in the rain and dark, and drive home. Oh how I wish I would have done a few things different. I would have brought a blanket and filled the trailer full of hay so deep he would have had to eat his way out. All things I've learned over the past few years of rescuing horses from auctions. Poor TenMan was emaciated, covered in lice, and had something wrong with his manpart. We helped him cross over the Rainbow Bridge as the vet figured he was into his 30s.  I wish I would have had the opportunity to get to know him a little better before we said goodbye. It is one of my few regrets in life.

We picked up Blondie from the same owner that had King. King is not a Sanctuary horse but Blondie definitely was. She was a registered palomino Quarter Horse. Her body was riddled with scares. At one point she had been a loved and pampered mare. But in looking at her body, she must have gone through a terrible accident. She had a scare on her chest/neck where you could see that she'd been stitched up. She was blind in one eye and both hips had scars from having to lie down all the time. I can't remember exactly how old she was when we brought her in to the Sanctuary. Her age didn't match her body however. She was only 16 when we said goodbye. She had a whopping 12 teeth, with six on either side. Three on top, three on bottom on both sides. The teeth barely matched up but they worked enough for her to survive on grain, grass hay, and alfalfa mash until the vet got in and messed with her. She was my only Palomino. The place still doesn't seem the same without her. It feels like we are missing a color when I look out into the herd. She was also my first mare. I've only been around geldings so the mare experience was definitely new. Least to say, I'm crabby enough for the both of us. Rabbit reminds me of Blondie at times. But maybe it's just a mare thing.

You  may be gone, but you are not forgotten. Both TenMan and Blondie made a huge impression on me, as all of the horses that have gone before me have.

Blog Post

An interesting blog post about meat prices and such. Not sure I agree with everything in the post but wanted to share none the less.

http://theethicsofequinerescue.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-grim-facts-horsemeat-and-what-its.html

Pictures

I realize these aren't horse pictures. I need to find batteries to download whatever pictures are on the camera. I'm afraid there's about five months worth of pictures on the camera. oops! 

But this blog has been looking a little dreary lately so I wanted to add some pictures. We are finally getting some much needed rain. If I thought it would help, I'd go outside and do a happy rain dance. I'm hoping we'll keep getting rain and that will trigger the new grass seed Mike put down last weekend. We desperately need the pasture this year.

Here's to rain showers and green pastures! Wish our pasture looked as green as the foliage in these pictures from last June.

Thursday Ramblings

It's been fairly quiet at the Sanctuary lately (knock on wood). Monday night the farrier came back out to trim Dude and Rain. We still have a handful of horses to trim. The hard part is scheduling the appointments (oh and paying the bill).

We are so far behind on everything this year. It's only been in the last week and a half that we've had nice enough weather to think about going outside and getting things done. Usually by this time I've had horses out on the lawn for at least a couple of days. I can say with assurance that the horses will not be going out on the pasture over Memorial Weekend as they have in the past. We'll be throwing hay until the first of July to give the new grass a chance to grow. I  may have to find the neighbor and beg to use his pasture for the month of June. I hate to ask but don't really want to be using expensive hay. Only by having to buy extra hay are we actually not panicking currently about hay. Of course I had an opportunity to buy hay but there's no money right now. I'm still collecting money to pay for last year's hay. And now we have spring shots right around the corner.

When time permits, I have taken to haltering Rabbit and letting her out to eat her grain and meds and then snitch some green grass. She really has been served an unjust life. Had she found her own person to make her shine, I think she would have been a much happier horse in life. Instead she was turned into a broodmare and not handled much. I need to  make a point to mess with her more.

I had plans last night but was so exhausted I could barely think. So instead Mike and I opted to stay home and turn into vegetables. I quiet weekend with rain would be a nice reprieve. Then I wouldn't feel guilty about not doing anything except napping. But you know that wont' happen.

I can't decide if I'm going to go to the monthly Mitchell Horse Sale or not. I'm so exhausted and not sure that either my mind or my heart can handle the pleading looks from those in the back pens. There's no money to bring anyone in what with all the bills we are currently facing. It breaks my  heart to go but it breaks my heart to not go. It's such a catch 22. I just don't know what to do. I wish there was a sign of some sort.

Uplifiting Story

I'm in a bad mood. I'm not sure why. But instead of ranting and raving as I thought I would, I'll leave you with a link to an uplifiting story instead.


http://rtfitchauthor.com/2013/05/14/saved-from-the-slaughterhouse-horse-is-welcomed-to-new-home-on-nj-farm/