Waiting for Something

It feels like I'm waiting for something. I'm not sure what that something would be. My guess is that it has to do with the fast approaching winter. Or maybe it's the downpour we are currently having. Or maybe it's trying to find the time to hunt down the paperwork to be incorporated. Or maybe it's the horse sale in Mitchell in just over a month. Or maybe the ads for cheap horses that keep appearing. Or maybe it's just that I haven't adjusted to daylight savings time yet.

Some years are fine while other years I struggle. My biggest struggle right now is getting chores done before it's pitch black . To keep the sanctuary running, I must work. Unfortunately I have to work 10 hour days this week which puts a bind in getting chores done at night. By the time I pull into the driveway, the sun has already set. I currently drive to work in the dark and drive home watching the sun set. Unfortunately I don't know that this will change for the next two months as I having to get a huge project done before the new year. I might be able to swing getting home at a somewhat better time starting next week but there's still stress in finding time to get everything done.

Sam has also added to my stress level lately. We've known that he's a hard keeper but he's been off for the past week. I can't place my thumb on what's wrong but I know he's not himself. I'm wondering if his ulcers aren't flaring up. He had ulcers last year around this time. I wonder if he's stressing over the feeding routine/schedule now that I have to throw out hay.

I am contemplating buying pelleted timothy hay and feeding him that instead (soaked of course). I am pumping him full of grain which is a cause for ulcers but I don't know what else I can do to keep the weight up. I'm wondering if I shouldn't just switch him over completely to pelleted food that I can soak. I'm starting him on alfalfa but he's so engrossed in his grain mash that he ignores the alfalfa for the most part. If I wasn't so worried about him colicing and stocking up, I'd simply turn him into a stall horse and stall him for the nights during winter. I wish I had more time in the mornings to grain him. If I want to grain him, I would have to get up at 4am to feed him and go back out an hour later to feed everyone else. It's an option I may have to consider.

The only other horse I'm concerned about is Rabbit. She doesn't have enough weight on her yet and she doesn't have a winter coat. But I think soon that'll change. I'm going to pull Mayhem off and put Rabbit in with the other mares over Thanksgiving. I'm thinking Rabbit may just wear a blanket all winter if she doesn't pack on the pounds and/or put on a winter coat.

I'm also considering putting Ivan in a blanket all winter. I'll always have to stall him in the coldest weather but I'm thinking if I put a blanket on, at least the blanket would block the coldest of winds from his "man part". I'm not sure what else to do to keep Ivan comfortable since he can't retract his "man part" into his sheath. A protective shield (aka blanket) is the next best thing I can think of (other than turning him into a stall baby, which may be an option).

I think some of the stress will melt away once we build the open front. We had the bare skeleton built but the wind blew it down. I think once the open front is built and I can lock horses in, I'll feel more comortable about the upcoming winter.

My biggest concern is not knowing what winter will be like. Will it be like last year or years past? If it's like last year, I'll be worried not only for the Borderland herd, but for the other horses left to fend for themselves in a pasture. There needs to be more I can do. Maybe that's the biggest part of what's bothering me. I don't feel as though I'm doing enough. There's always something more that I could be doing. But at this point, I can't find the time and even if I could find the time, I'm not sure what it would be.