Happy Birthday A!

So I'm a day late and more than a dollar short. But I wanted to wish my niece a very Happy Birthday! I'm hoping that she'll become my riding partner soon. I'm sure I can acquire some pink tack somewhere. It might be tough to find a pink horse. Hope you had a great birthday Alanna!

Happy Day

Life has been so crazy lately. Everything has been such a blur for the past two months. It's hard to keep track of all the stuff I wanted to blog about.

Today was such a nice day that I decided I would take at least one horse out for a little spin around the farmer neighbor's field. I decided I would take Jim out since he's one of my "go to" horses. We started out at a walk but I couldn't keep him down out of his pacing trot the entire time. I'm afraid he's herd bound so we'll be working on getting that bad habit fixed. We weren't in the field for very long, but last fall the neighbor did a "deep rip" on it so the field is pretty worked up even this spring. I tried to stay out of the wet areas to make walking through it a little easier. We weren't gone for very long but Jim was worked into a lather.

I decided since the evening was still young, that I would take Zeke out (a non-rescue). Riding Zeke is almost like riding Ace, my beloved Arabian I really learned to ride on. I sure do miss that gelding. Zeke is so well trained. He knows more than I do about riding. I can only hope that I can learn so that I can show off all his knowledge. Zeke is the type of horse that can go into a lope and drop back down in just a heartbeat. I love that boy!


Today is Sam's last day of ulcer treatments. I missed a couple of days here and there but he got his full 30 days of ulcer meds. We are going to do an additional 14 days of maintenance. I only wish I would have caught Sam's ulcer sooner. I'm betting it flared up last fall but it didn't get bad until this spring. I'm going to start him on an ulcer maintenance plan in the fall and the spring so that we can avoid another major ulcer again. Sam has come out of this ulcer pretty well. I'm really happy with his weight. I'll have to get some pictures of him to show off his weight. He's probably looking the best I've seen him in years.

I've taken Chaos to a few riding clinics. He's getting a lot of experience. I'm hoping to use him as a spokesman for rescue (along with Bo). At our clinic on Wed, K rode Chaos. She said he wasn't stupid just dumb. Now don't get upset, what she means is Chaos is broke but he's not trained. She was on Chaos for about 10 minutes and new everything about him that I knew! I am totally amazed. Now the hard part will be for me to find the time to continue riding him and teaching/training him on the things K taught me.

I know there is more to blog about but I'm coming up blank so I'll just leave it that we are busy, busy, busy. Hopefully the weather will hold so that I can get more riding in!

Summer Herd Needs

So my sister is helping me with getting Borderlands set up. I can handle the care and general maintenance of the horses but the marketing is beyond my skill and knowledge. So my sister, bless her heart, stepped in and offered to help.

To help get the ball rolling, she's putting out a request for Borderlands (keep in mind we are not yet a non-profit and any donations are at this time not tax deductible).

Summer Herd Needs

Despite the rainy weather, summer is almost upon us. Borderlands is often asked what do we need. We always need sponsors who are willing to help pay for feed and vet bills as Shanna runs the entire operation out-of-pocket with no grants or government assistance. If you would like to do something smaller though, we have a summer needs list. If you are willing to donate one of these items by May 15th, it will greatly help the horses have a comfortable and pleasant summer. Please reply to this discussion (left-hand side of Borderlands Facebook page and click DISCUSSIONS) with what you would like to donate or you can email Stacy at speterswalters@yahoo.com to coordinate drop off or pick up of any items. Thank you for your continued support of Borderlands! The horses appreciate it!

If you think flies, gnats and mosquitoes are difficult for humans, try being a horse! The pesky insects non-stop bite the horses all summer long. The fly masks keep the insects out of the horses' eyes. The fly spray is like bug repellent. Vaseline will protect the horses' ears from gnat bites. Can you imagine getting bit all day by insects and not being able to do any more than stamp a foot or shake your head? (When I was out this weekend, the gnats had swarmed poor Dick's ears and had starting biting them until he bled. We cleaned them out, but Shanna will be starting Vaseline treatment this week on their ears.)

* 3 yearling fly masks (For our 2 fillies: Mayhem and Sahara and our little guy: Tommy)

*16 standard/large fly masks for the herd

*3 jars of Vaseline

* 4 gallons of fly spray (preferred final Fly T or Horse & Pony)



Sometimes people like to get treats for our horses. Apple licks, salt licks and jolly balls are all fun treats and toys for the horses, especially for the days before they can go to pasture.

We can always use lead ropes and halters. Thank you Darla for the awesome halters. Savanna is wearing the gorgeous pink one.

All these supplies can be found at Tractor Supply Company or Campbell Supply. The fly spray runs $40 per gallon. The fly masks are $13 per mask. Everything else is under $10.

We are working on our non-profit status, but if you would like a receipt for any of these items, we will gladly get you one.

Easter Sunday Pics of Bo

My sister came out Easter Sunday and she snapped a few pics of Bo while we were out. I gave him a luster bath after the pics. It's amazing what food can do. These pictures are six weeks after bringing Bo home.

Savanna Pictures

For those anxious to see Savanna in the daylight, here they are. I'll try to get more pictures later but these were taken Sunday, the day after she and her daughter Sahara arrived.

Keep in mind, she is not old. We were told she is five. Her only fault, a terrible owner.

A Little Piece of My Heart

Tonight I decided that I would mess with Savanna. She was cribbing so bad yesterday that I was worried what the stall would look like tonight. I pulled her out and let her eat just a little bit of grass. I have no idea what she was eating (if anything) before she came to Borderlands. I think the highlight of her day was getting out to eat grass. I wanted to walk her around so she could stretch her legs after being cooped up in her stall all day. Perhaps it's not the right method to keep her calm and only let her out for short periods of time until she gains a bit of weight, but that's the method that we are doing.

After her little bit of grazing and walking, I tied her up to see if she would stand tied. Yup, stood like a goddess, never moving an inch. I ran into the hay barn to grab a brush and as I walked out, she nickered to me. Absolute music to my ears.

I groomed her down as best I could. What I can't understand is that you can see someone took a curry comb to her at some point recently. I just don't get it. How can you starve a horse yet spend time brushing her down? It's absolutely mind boggling.

Savanna stood there without moving an inch while I groomed her. The only moving she did was to switch which leg she was resting or to swing her head ever so slightly to watch me work. She did try to crib once but decided that it wasn't worth it as I was moving slow and staying quiet. I think the more upset she gets, the more she cribs.

After all the chores were done, I decided that I would check on her one last time. When I first checked on her before chores, she was facing away from the door. When I checked on her again before going in for the night, in she was again facing away from her stall door.

I let her know I was coming in to her stall, and as I entered, she turned around to face me. I would have been happy with that much progress, but she walked up to me and put her head into my chest. She let me hug her head, petting her face and simply enjoying each other's company. Of course the gambet of worries started in, thinking she was colicy (no signs of colic and there were gut sounds) or thinking she was getting sick from something. I'm hoping that she's just coming down from all the stress and now not having to worry about her baby, she can focus on herself.

As I was hugging her head, gently petting her, she let out the biggest sigh. It almost brought me to tears. There's nothing wrong with her, she only wanted to be comforted. I absolutely adore her. After only three full days of being at Borderlands (and only getting a little bit of time to play with her), she has stolen a piece of my heart.

Her one and only fault that I can find is that she cribs when she's upset or nervous. That's why she was cribbing so much Sunday and Monday. Now that she knows what the routine is, and she doesn't have to worry about her baby, she isn't cribbing. I can't blame her for that little fault. Heck, we all have our faults, some greater than others. I'll admit that I stress eat when I'm upset or nervous. So for her to crib when she's upset, so be it. I'll at least know what I'm getting in to.

I am truely honored and blessed to have the opportunity to know Savanna. I look forward to watching her pesonality shine through.

Too Exhuasted

I'm too exhausted to ramble so here are some random pics.

Gypsy

Sam and Brego

Lake Vermillion

Zeke

Zeke

Calling BS

When I have more time I’ll write the full story of Savanna and Sahara but for now I’ll just keep you in suspense with a few details.

While we were looking through the loose horse pens, I spied Savanna and Sahara. I found the tag listing the owner, a Miguel Hernendez of Alvord, Iowa. My good friend D volunteered to call after the sale and see if she could get any information about Savanna and Sahara.

I did notice that both mother and daughter had at one point worn a halter. I wasn’t sure if the baby had ever worn one but there is just a slight mark that shows she had one on at one point in time, I’m guessing to get her into the trailer to go to the auction.

So D called but got Mr. Hernendez’s daughter. She asked if her dad had any horses and she said she didn’t know but that D should call back at 7pm when her dad would be in the house. D called again but only got the daughter. Luckily the daughter was nice enough to give a cell phone number. D called the cell but didn’t get an answer. After leaving a message, we kept our fingers crossed that he would call.

Mr. Hernendez did call. Now if the story is correct, we aren’t sure. I’m glad it was D who talked with him. I would have lost my patience. The daughter had to translate because Mr. Hernendez doesn’t speak English very well. So here’s what we know from the conversation.

The mare, Savanna, is five years old. The filly, Sahara, is one year old. They were actually owned by another person but they went back to Mexico six months ago. Mr. Hernedez took the pair at that time. The daughter said that they didn’t know anything about horses. And that’s about all we got out of them.

I then contacted someone from Alvord, Iowa (we’ll call them Jane Doe) to see if they knew Mr. Hernendez and if they were telling the truth. If it’s the same person (and I don’t know if it is), we were told that he keeps his horses in a barn and that his stallion has broken a fence and gotten in to Jane Doe’s pasture a couple of times.

Red Flag, Red Flag, Red Flag. Now, it could be that the person with the stallion is not Mr. Hernendez but if it is, he gave us a song and dance. And I’m beginning to think he gave us a run around. It could very well be that someone else owned the mare and filly but that he took them and still didn’t bother to feed them through the ENTIRE WINTER. Six months ago put us at the end of October. A few things just aren’t adding up. A road trip may very well be in order in the next few days. If Mr. Hernendez is the same person Jane Doe thought it was, I’m betting that there are more thin horses. And if he has a stallion, he’s causing a major issue. If there are more horses locked in a barn, I will have to raise holy hell. I have pictures of Savanna and Sahara to prove that he starved them. Savanna is so thin and Sahara has a crippled leg that should have been taken care of. I can’t tell if Sahara is thin because she won’t let me touch her yet.

So, does anyone else want to do some digging. The story isn’t adding up and I’m calling BS.

More Questions Answered on Bo

After Saturday's horse auction, I met up with an individual who knew a little bit about the herd Bo was with at the Mitchell Horse Sale last month. I was always a little stunned to realize that Bo went for $110. Bo is the thinnest horse we've ever had come through Borderlands. I couldn't figure out why I would end up paying that much for a horse that would normally go for about $10 at any other sale, or would be marked as No Value.

Apparently the so called "owner" of Bo and his herd was lurking outside the auction walls. He never went in (I'm guessing by court order maybe but that's just a guess). But the slimeball somehow managed to get enough money rounded up to think that he could buy some of them back. I'm betting he would have bounced the check anyway.

So the slimeball had family members and friends go in and bid on the horses. Or at least that's my understanding. But the killbuyers knew what was going on and that's why they were bidding on the horses.

I don't condone horse slaughter, nor do I really like the killbuyers, but in this case (and this case alone) the killbuyers banned together to ensure that this slimeball didn't get his horses back. Even the ickiest killbuyer knows what a terrible person this slimeball is.

The killbuyers jacked the prices up to ensure that the family/friends wouldn't be able to get the horses for the slimeball. I don't like the fate they were handed but it is better than returning to the hell they lived in...twice.

I'm guessing the slimeball will buy more horses. The cycle will never be broken with this slimeball until he walks through the gates of Hell.

If I find out any more information, I'll be sure to post. I figure the more information I have out there, the more the story will come out. I haven't quite figured out the entire story as not all the pieces are available yet or I haven't done enough digging.

The only thing that matters is that Bo is safe and gaining weight daily. If someone were to see him now and not know the story, they would think he looked terrible. But in my eyes he looks abso-fricking-lutely awesome! The hip bones and ribs are still prominant but they are slowly diminishing. I am excited to see what he looks like once he's at the correct weight. Drop dead gorgeous is my opinion.

I did miss one small thing with Bo. He somehow picked up mites. I thought at first losing the hair was a ramification of being so emaciated. But he's still itching and I think now he has mites. So I dusted with him luster. I'm going to give him another dose of panacure tonight too to see if that helps any. I'll be 100 honest and say I'm just winging it on these emaciated horses. Each one is so different and there are so many opinions on how to bring them back to health. But whatever we're doing seems to appeal to Bo. My dear sister came out yesterday and took some pictures before we gave him his luster bath. I'll see if I can't grab those pics and post so everyone can see his progress.

I can't believe we've had Bo now for six full weeks. I had meant to take weekly pictures but all hell broke loose a few weeks ago and I'm just now getting back into the swing of things. So instead, I'll hopefully post a six week progress report soon.

Savanna and Sahara

I'll admit that I am absolutely exhausted. I've been in "Go" mode since 8am and it's not 10:30pm. I'll cut to the chase, we brought two home. I would have kicked myself for not bringing them home but I'm worried about how we will handle taking these two in.

I'll tell the story tomorrow after I've had a few hours of sleep. As the saying goes from my favoite movie, Man from Snowy River: "I have no notion of their breeding..." But we brought two mare home in deplorable condition. I will admit that they are in better shape than Bo...sad I know.

It is a mother daughter combination. Thank you D and M for sitting through the auction with me. I don't know that I would have been brave enough to bring them home without you. Thank you also to N, her dad, and G for bringing these two lovey ladies home. It is great to have such good and so many amazing friends who are willing to help. I am truely blessed on this Easter Weekend.

I'll refrain from babbling on any more. I'm sure you are anxious to meet the new lovely ladies of Borderlands. Please welcome Savanna and her daughter, Sahara. They are resting comfortably in a stall tonight.

Tomorrow is another day.

Savanna

Savanna and her daughter Sahara

Savanna

Savanna

Sahara

Sahara resting after her long day at the auction.

Auction Today :-(

I'm planning on leaving soon to attend the Sioux Falls Regional Livestock Horse Sale. The sale starts atl 11am. I like to be there an hour early so that I can look through the loose horses without much interference.

The new management has changed where they put the loose horses so it might make it easier to see them while the auction is going. For whatever reason, the loose horses are kept very close to the auction ring and the consigned horses go up and down the aisles of the loose horses. It was different last time so we'll see.

I really don't like auctions. I'm actually a little queezy just thinking about it. I know some enjoy going to auctions to just hang out and spend the day. It's not the case for me. All I see are so many "potential family members" going to kill. I don't know what more I can do. Being that we are a sanctuary where we keep them until their dying day rather than a rescue where we screen and find potential homes, it's a little hard to take in many. I should probably change our focus but I'm drawn to the oldsters. They deserve just as much respect as those young 'uns.

We'll see how today goes. I'm not in a position to bring anyone home. We are maxed out. There are horses now in every pen and even in temporary pens. I'm still trying to come up with a permanent solution for Thor, which is giving me a bit of a headache. I'm contemplating having Thor and Babe meet to see if that would be a good combination. They met once before this past fall but that was a whole different time and a whole different situation.

Keep your fingers crossed that there are no real bad starvation cases at the auction (although that's now hardly the case since the state wont' allow super thin horses to run through). I'm sure there will be a dozen or so that catch my eye.

I'm not sure how many horses will even be there what with this being Easter Weekend. I hope that there are a lot of people and not a lot of horses. Now to settle my nerves. Think I'll go out and do chore and give everyone a great big hug and tell them how blessed I am to have them here.

Please pray for those that aren't going to make it today.

Uber Busy

The past couple of days have been super busy. Late nights and early mornings. Hopefully I'll have a chance to fill you all in on everything going on. (Don't worry, no additional horses coming in).


Altough, speaking of horses, this Saturday is the Sioux Falls Regional Livestock Horse Sale. If anyone wants to go, let me know. I'll be attending (without a trailer). I'm only there to make sure no super thin horses run through (which for the most part doesn't happen because of the new laws). But if anyone wants to go, let me know.


Hopefully I can return tonight and fill you in on everything going on.

Chaos and Dad

Still pulling pictures off the camera. When we got married last June, we didn't get enough pictures of the horses. So we had a picture shoot afterwards. I made Dad put his tux back on and saddled up Chaos.

So for your viewing pleasure, here are a few pics of Chaos and Dad.

Picture Day

Figured I'd add some more pictures. It's been raining or snowing for the past few days. The forecast doesn't seem to be improving. I had hoped to move the mares and Bo into a pen but I want to keep Bo undercover. Hopefully we'll get nicer weather this weekend. Brego and Thor. This is the day after we lost Joe and the first day of Thor being in with the big herd.

Brego. When we first brought Brego home, his star was huge. It's since changed to the current look. I joked that it was the Superman logo. It's changed since then. Never knew a star could change.

Brego and Thor hanging out.

Chaos. He looks so fat and shiny. I'm ready for summer and summer coats.

Zeke

Bo Pictures

Alright so I'm not smart enough to figure out how to turn pictures in blogger, or with this new computer. (sorry, brain apparently is fried). And I can't figure out how to post pictures in chronological order, so the following pictures are in reverse order. Scroll to the bottom and then scroll up to see the changes in Bo. I haven't had a chance to take any pictures in the past two, to three weeks but I thought I'd share the first few weeks of Bo being at Borderlands (sorry for some of the pics). **Let me put in one note after looking at the pictures. The most recent pictures Bo looks well groomed but thinner. Don't let it fool you. The crusty winter hair was hiding how bad he really looked. ** Sorry for the picutre turned. This picture was taken about two weeks after Bo arrived at Borderlands. I do need to get additional pictures. Unfortunately with the emaciation, he's now experiencing hair loss. I will do my best to get some pictures. He's currently tucked in a blanket until after this next snow storm passes.

Bo looks much better, at least for the hair. The weather changed and turned cold so I put a blanket on. It seemed to really help with the hair. After looking at these pictures, Bo has really put on weight. This picture was taken five days later.

Sorry for the turned picture. But thought I would share a back end view so everyone could see the drastic amount of weight loss Bo was dealing with. This was also from one week after coming to Borderlands.

This is one week after bringing Bo home. He was just starting to show his true colors. I was rather surprised that he had white socks until after brining him home.

Bo, the day after being pulled from the auction. If you look closely, there is a streak on his right flank. It was sweating during the picture shoot. He's since lost all of his hair in that spot.

Dick

I know you're all tired of listening to me rant and rave. Now that we finally have a camera with batteries, a working computer, and the cable to connect both, I thought I would share some picutres. The following are of Dick a few days after we brought him home.

Another New Holland Auction Tale

I wanted to share a story from Project Sage. This rescue attends the New Holland sale once a month (New Holland holds horse sales every Monday and runs 250-500 horses each time).

Project Sage raises funds to pull five horses once a month, evaulates them, brings them back to health, and then adopts them to loving homes. Her stories are amazing and I cannot imagine the stress she must go through each time she attends this horrific sale. My heart goes out to her and her volunteers.

Read her story: http://projectsageblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/another-tale-from-new-holland.html

We are Back

We made it back from Davenport and the funeral. I decided I would stay home and do a little work from home instead. We have a meeting tonight and I wanted the chance to see the herd for a little in the daylight. I only got a few minutes to see everyone while doing morning chores but it was enough to brighten my spirits. This past week has been very stressful and I just want to thank everyone for their kindess. Hopefully for us life can get back to normal, as normal as that can be. I am still planning on attending the Mitchell Open Consignment Sale tomorrow evening if anyone would like to attend. I'm hoping to leave Mike at home so we can rest (he's more worn out from all of this than I am), so I'm looking for a little bit of company if anyone is interested. I'm sure to post more later but wanted to let everyone know we are back and hopefully we'll get back to a normal routine very shortly.

Friday Update

I'm finally getting around to playing musical pens this weekend. The mares are starting to wander the pasture. I don't want them tearing up the pasture so I'll be pulling them out this weekend. Dick has been in a makeshift pen next to Rabbit. I had to distinct impression that Dick liked Rabbit so I gave it a shot tonight and put Rabbit in with Dick. There was a bit of squealing and a few bucks on Rabbit's part but I just blame that on her being a bossy mare. Poor Dick just gave me this look of resignation. I had to laugh. He really is a very sweet old guy. My plan is to move Queen, Babe, and Mayhem into the pen that Rabbit vacated. The only issue at this time is where to put the ponies. Right now I'll leave the ponies in the pen and see how Babe handles the extra naughtiness. :-) If she doesn't adjust, I'll pull the ponies out and put Bo in the pen. Bo completed his QT. I can't believe that we'll have had him for a month now. He's improved but it's still a slow go to gain all the weight back. I'm a little concerned. On his right flank he had a streak of hair that didn't match. It actually looked sweaty. Bob had something very similar. I had asked the vet what it was (on Bob), and he said that Bob must have gotten into some accident and damaged the skin. So I'm guessing that's the same thing for Bo. Unfortunately for whatever reason, Bo is losing all the hair in this little streatk. I'm not exactly sure what to do but I'm keeping a close eye on him. The other day he was so excited for his grain, that he let out a big buck. He's going to be a handful when he's back to his proper weight. And speaking of weight, Sam is doing well. We're about half way through his month long ulcer treatment. He is getting beet pulp twice a day. I missed his ulcer meds last Saturday and it became pretty obvious that he didn't feel well the next day. He is figuring out how to handle the ulcers on his own. The day after not giving his meds, he was standing around and decided to laydown and then roll, to cover the ulcers with the "hay shelf" or so I'm guessing. He hasn't lost any weight like I was afraid. Thor is adjusting to life as a blind horse. He's still in the small pen but he's found a few places that he enjoys to stand in. He doesn't move very far or very fast. Every step is calculated. I just feel terrible for him but he's adjusting. The first week or so he wouldn't eat all that much but he's gained his appetite back and polishes off almost everything I throw his way. I need to do a bit of research. Mayhem has warts on her nose. I thought I read something about babies and warts but I'm drawing a blank so I guess I need to do some research. Queen and Mayhem were standing together one morning and Queen gave a loving nudge to Mayhem. It really lightened my heart to see that bit of loving care. Queen loves the young, be it two legged or four legged. I'm taking Chaos to a showmanship/riding lesson tomorrow. Hopefully he'll load. I haven't worked with him for awhile. He really turned into something special. I keep thinking of all the horses that run through loose at an auction. All it takes is a little bit of elbow grease and a horse can really look amazing. Just give a horse an education and they'll go far. Everyone else is doing well. I'll admit that Dude and Brego have lost some weight. I can't figure out exactly why as nothing has changed in their diet. But I'm trying a few different things to try and we'll see what works best. I'm sure there's more to report but my mind is a bit mushy. Now that we have a running computer, I'll download pictures. I missed getting pictures of Bo last week. I'll try to give Bo a quick grooming and get some pictures on here so you can see how he's looking after a month. But now that we have a computer, I can actually respond to your questions. So if you have questions that I didn't answer, please shoot me a line and I'll answer them now.

Reeling Mind

My mind is still reeling from the events of the past few days. We lost a family member suddenly and unexpectedly. Our plans changed and we won't be going out of town until next week sometime. Mike and Dad had planned a hunting trip this same time but they decided to postpone until we returned. I'm not exactly sure when we are leaving and when we are returning but luckily Mom and Dad will be here to take care of the animals. I am totally blown away by everyone's generosity to help do chores. I am so thankful and very blessed to have such great people in our lives. There are no words that can express my gratitude. We are still fairly shocked and have spent the last two days in a daze rather than doing much around the place. This past month has been a total blur with so many stresses. Hopefully the rest of this month will be calm and we can start enjoying the nicer weather.

Thank You

I want to thank everyone for stepping up and offering to help while we are out of town. I just spoke with mom. Dad has decided to stick around instead of going on his hunting trip. So, Mom and Dad will be around to take care of the horses. Words cannot describe my gratitude for everyones kindness. I am overwhelmed with your kindess. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Emergency - Out of Town

We have a family emergency that is sending us out of state starting tomorrow through Sunday. I need to talk with mom and my sister to see if they can do some of the chores. Otherwise, anyone willing to come out and do chores once or twice this weekend? I'm really only concerned about making sure Sam gets his ulcer meds. I'll take care of him Friday before we leave and again Sunday night after we get back. It's only Saturday that I'm concerned about. He could skip a day but I'd rather not. I tried it once last week and it was pretty obvious that he wasn't feeling well the next day. I'd prefer that he stay on his current schedule of beet pulp both morning and night but that's a lot to ask of someone. As long as he gets it onces a day, he'll be fine until we get back. I'll have everything down to bare minimum of chores (just throwing hay). I only ask that someone grain Bo and Dick because those two are the ones that really need it (besides Sam and his beet pulp). It's not necessary but it'll make me feel better. We'll see what the family is willing to do for chores and go from there.

Decisions, Decisions

I was flipping through the latest Horse & Rider the other day and I came upon an article titled "Decisions, Decisions". Least to say, I busted out laughing. If you have or read Horse & Rider, you'll completely understand. If you don't, well it's the same question I constantly ask, "should I, or shouldn't I?"

There's always a catch 22 with any question that I ask. It's a little frustrating but it appears that I'm not the only one to ask this same question constantly.

* Should I blanket the mares? If I don't blanket, should I put them in the barn? If I put them in the barn, than Queen will get stiff but she can't handle the cold, wet weather but she hates that blanket. Should I or shouldn't I?

* Should I feed Sam his grain mash concoction or should I try something different that maybe will not upset his stomach? Should I decrease his calf manna even though he's a hard keeper and just keep him on senior? How do I ensure he keeps his wieght on without the bags of grain I pump in him on a daily basis? Should I or shouldn't I?

* Should I continue feeding the mares their joint supplement? Should I or shouldn't I?

* Should I feed Dick straight alfalfa or should I soak the alfalfa pellets and feed him that way? Should I or shouldn't I?

* Should I put someone in with a different horse even though they aren't best friends (that's mostly in the winter just before a storm. I have to run through the herd dynamics and who's going to fare the best/worst through a storm in a stall next to another horse and who should stay in the runin, even though they can get in out of the nasty weather).

* Should I look at some supplement for King so that he doesn't always get soar muscles even though he doesn't do anything? Should I shoe him in hopes that his feet won't hurt?

It's a constant question and answer session when I go to do chores. Life was easier with just one or two but now that we have 19, everything is a bit more complicated. Not that I'm complaining. I love every minute of it (except for the hay down my shirt or in my face).

But I am glad to know that I'm not the only one constantly asking questions, trying to make the best decision after weighing all the pros and cons. So, do YOU do the same thing?

Runin

We had a productive weekend. We didn’t have a lot of horse time Saturday as we enjoyed some family quality time for the majority of the day. I can honestly admit that I am rather spoiled. I am exactly 30 minutes from my parents and 45 minutes from my sister. We rely heavily on family to help with Borderlands. We wouldn’t be able to do it without them.

And speaking of my parents, they came Sunday to help work on the runin shed we started building last fall (that inevitably blew down…sigh). We had a huge learning curve that first go round but we were farther along yesterday than we were that first day.

I was very worried when we woke up Sunday morning that we wouldn’t be able to work on the runin shed because of the wind. We had gusts over 30 mph. How in the world could we possibly work on building anything and not having it blown down. Luckily were we strategically placed the runin, is in a small hollow, just north of where the water runs off and down far enough to not catch much wind.

I’m not sure when we’ll get back to it. Mike and Dad will be headed to the Black Hills this coming weekend and following week. And I have a riding lesson this Saturday so there’s no hope that I can putter on it by myself (not that I could anyway). It does make me feel good to see that building going up. It won’t be anything fancy and I’m sure some people will turn up their noses at it, but I’ll be tickled to have it standing there waiting for the horses.

We use what resources we can at Borderlands. The wood is all new but the tin is old and was originally from some other building. We go by the motto “Reuse, recycle, repurpose”. I’m sure the building would look nicer with brand new tin with a brand new paint job, but we use what we can afford and what we have on hand. Hopefully I’ll be able to paint the tin to spruce it up a little bit. I’m sure the horses will simply be happy to have another runin so that they don’t all have to share.

If all goes well with this runin, I’m hoping to build another one this fall in a different pen. Life will be easier for me if I can get an additional runin built.

I have more to share but need to get a few things done before I can post again. Still without a computer and now I’ve lost the cord for the camera so no additional pictures until I can do some hunting of my own.

The Horse No One Saw - By Rosemary Farm

I read this blog post and had to share. It's well written and so very painfully true. http://rosemaryfarm.org/all/the-horse-no-one-saw/ My mind is already jumping forward to this month's horse sale at Mitchell (April 15th) and at Sioux Falls (April 23) that I'll be attending. I won't mention anything more about Kramers (April 2nd and April 16th) or Corscia (April 16th). So many souls will be lost at these auctions. Funds are depleated and space is at a premium but there has to be something we can do for these horses. Lets start brainstorming. Send me your ideas!

Happy Birthday CI

I can't believe it's April 1st already. March was an absolute blur. Lets hope April is a much better month. I want to wish a special little man a very Happy Birthday today! Eight years ago, I was working at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa in Des Moines when I got a call from Dad. Keep in mind, Dad never called, especially at work. But the call was to tell me that my sister was going into labor. I do not like jokes, prants, etc. But I really thought Dad was playing a prant on me. Nope. It's hard to believe that the phone call was eight years ago. Happy Birthday Connor!