Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Dare to Pull
I can't say I wrote the following, nor cam I give proper credit because I do not know who actually wrote the below text but it's very true. Watching the horses at Borderlands is what pulls me. The knowledge that I CAN help pulls me. The passion to watch a horse experience kindness and contentment pulls me. Rescue/Sanctuary Life Pulls Me.
There are far too many things pushing you. Pressure at home and at work, society’s expectations, debt, a seeming lack of options.
All of these things can weigh heavy on your heart and while a push can be a heck of a motivation, it really only works best when you’re jumping out of a plane or off of the high dive. Sure, it gets the job done, but your heart’s not in it.
Seek what pulls you.
There is an allure to the pull. When your heart is pulled in a certain direction, fear seems to disappear. Something bigger than yourself is calling, beckoning, pulling you to be better than yourself.
You want to follow the pull. You want to chase after it. The pursuit of what pulls you is a great end in itself. When you run after what is pulling you – instead of running from what is pushing you – it’s like you can run forever. The breath of freedom fills your lungs and your legs keep pounding the pavement, feet chasing after one another as you head off towards the horizon in pursuit of one great big dream.
It’s easy to find what’s pushing you. Whenever you feel stressed, nervous, sick, or scared, you’re being pushed. When you feel nauseous (in a good way), relieved, excited, and hopeful, you’re being pulled.
I hope your heart is open enough to be pulled. Sometimes, when it’s been pushed too much, it can close up, confusing any external force as a push, missing out on the pull. It takes real courage to trust again in the hope that you’ll be pulled.
There is no better feeling than being pulled. It keeps you up late so you can work on your passion, convinces you to mortgage your present to cash in on your future, and persuades you to embrace your unique dreams as only you can. Listen to your soul so you can know when you’re being pulled. Then, untether yourself from everything that’s been pushing you so you can be linked to the one thing your heart desires.
Dare something to pull you.
There are far too many things pushing you. Pressure at home and at work, society’s expectations, debt, a seeming lack of options.
All of these things can weigh heavy on your heart and while a push can be a heck of a motivation, it really only works best when you’re jumping out of a plane or off of the high dive. Sure, it gets the job done, but your heart’s not in it.
Seek what pulls you.
There is an allure to the pull. When your heart is pulled in a certain direction, fear seems to disappear. Something bigger than yourself is calling, beckoning, pulling you to be better than yourself.
You want to follow the pull. You want to chase after it. The pursuit of what pulls you is a great end in itself. When you run after what is pulling you – instead of running from what is pushing you – it’s like you can run forever. The breath of freedom fills your lungs and your legs keep pounding the pavement, feet chasing after one another as you head off towards the horizon in pursuit of one great big dream.
It’s easy to find what’s pushing you. Whenever you feel stressed, nervous, sick, or scared, you’re being pushed. When you feel nauseous (in a good way), relieved, excited, and hopeful, you’re being pulled.
I hope your heart is open enough to be pulled. Sometimes, when it’s been pushed too much, it can close up, confusing any external force as a push, missing out on the pull. It takes real courage to trust again in the hope that you’ll be pulled.
There is no better feeling than being pulled. It keeps you up late so you can work on your passion, convinces you to mortgage your present to cash in on your future, and persuades you to embrace your unique dreams as only you can. Listen to your soul so you can know when you’re being pulled. Then, untether yourself from everything that’s been pushing you so you can be linked to the one thing your heart desires.
Dare something to pull you.
Prince aka Eye Candy
I'm really impressed with Prince. Not only is he "eye candy", he's also darn smart. He's taken being blind pretty well. We have come to the conclusion that he can see certain things (shadows perhaps) during the day but he is completely blind at night. He's much slower to move at night than during the day.
I was late to do chores last night so had to grain Thor and Babe in the dark. It's all a new routine for me, so it's going to take awhile to adjust. But Thor was immediately at the fence. That boy can smell. I believe his other senses really kicked in after he lost his sight. He uses his nose so much more now than ever before.
Babe did circles until I got the grain mash in front of her. Thor was already gobbling down his grain mash.
Prince stood patiently while I haltered him so he wouldn't bother Thor or Babe. Prince is nice and plump (just the way I like them). I tried to lead him around a little but it took a lot of persuading. He doesn't trust me yet to lead him around in the dark. I don't blame him. But I'll be messing with him more now that I'm in with the blind horses every night waiting for Babe and Thor.
Sahara is maybe finally understanding the whole "standing tied" idea but I'm not sure. I tied her securely but she still had three massive blow ups. Talk about a wild bronc. I'm so used to Mayhem who does the whole "ho hum" of standing tied that rearing and pulling hard is different to me. Sahara is most definitely going to use brute force to get her way until she realizes it won't work. She pawed and pawed and pawed and blew up. Then she took a few seconds to catch her breath and went back to pawing before another blow up. This went on for the majority of the time Babe and Thor were eating. Prince and I stayed closer to Sahara but that didn't seem to help. We were far enough away from harm but Sahara was going to have none of this tying deal.
About the time Babe was finishing up her grain, Sahara decided to actually stand (without pawing) and think. I'm not sure if she was working her way up to another blowup or if she was contemplating standing still for a little while. I did see her cock a back leg for just a second. Maybe tonight will go better, or maybe it'll be worse.
Throughout the entire learning session, Prince and I hung out. I did resecure Sahara's lead rope in between her blow ups to ensure that the rope was tied. I swear I can't tie a proper knot still. When I walked away from Prince, I threw the lead rope over his back. Prince never took a step. He patiently waiting for me to return. When I pulled the lead rope off his back, he tried to take an end and chew on it. I guess he wanted a treat. Prince really is an amazing horse. I think with the right person and right training, he'll be an amazing riding horse. Or for those that just want a pasture puff, he'll be some awesome "eye candy".
I was late to do chores last night so had to grain Thor and Babe in the dark. It's all a new routine for me, so it's going to take awhile to adjust. But Thor was immediately at the fence. That boy can smell. I believe his other senses really kicked in after he lost his sight. He uses his nose so much more now than ever before.
Babe did circles until I got the grain mash in front of her. Thor was already gobbling down his grain mash.
Prince stood patiently while I haltered him so he wouldn't bother Thor or Babe. Prince is nice and plump (just the way I like them). I tried to lead him around a little but it took a lot of persuading. He doesn't trust me yet to lead him around in the dark. I don't blame him. But I'll be messing with him more now that I'm in with the blind horses every night waiting for Babe and Thor.
Sahara is maybe finally understanding the whole "standing tied" idea but I'm not sure. I tied her securely but she still had three massive blow ups. Talk about a wild bronc. I'm so used to Mayhem who does the whole "ho hum" of standing tied that rearing and pulling hard is different to me. Sahara is most definitely going to use brute force to get her way until she realizes it won't work. She pawed and pawed and pawed and blew up. Then she took a few seconds to catch her breath and went back to pawing before another blow up. This went on for the majority of the time Babe and Thor were eating. Prince and I stayed closer to Sahara but that didn't seem to help. We were far enough away from harm but Sahara was going to have none of this tying deal.
About the time Babe was finishing up her grain, Sahara decided to actually stand (without pawing) and think. I'm not sure if she was working her way up to another blowup or if she was contemplating standing still for a little while. I did see her cock a back leg for just a second. Maybe tonight will go better, or maybe it'll be worse.
Throughout the entire learning session, Prince and I hung out. I did resecure Sahara's lead rope in between her blow ups to ensure that the rope was tied. I swear I can't tie a proper knot still. When I walked away from Prince, I threw the lead rope over his back. Prince never took a step. He patiently waiting for me to return. When I pulled the lead rope off his back, he tried to take an end and chew on it. I guess he wanted a treat. Prince really is an amazing horse. I think with the right person and right training, he'll be an amazing riding horse. Or for those that just want a pasture puff, he'll be some awesome "eye candy".
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Evening Pictures
The pictures hide Savanna's weight but she has packed on some pounds. Prize likes hanging with his "ladies".
"Watcha doing? Mind if I join?"
"Feed me now....please"Cloud Nine
For some reason I feel like I'm on cloud nine. Even with everything going on and all the stresses of an ordinary day, I'm not yet stressed. I'm guessing it's from my ride last night. The weather has been gorgeous. There really are no words to best describe the weather we've been experiencing lately. I just wish that the days wouldn't get dark so soon. It's dark by 8pm. I need another hour to get everything done (and to enjoy the weather).
I know Rain isn't a rescue, but I decided I'd take him out and putter around the yard. I want to show Bo under english but I haven't yet tried riding him. I don't yet think he's to the right weight. He could stand to gain another 50 pounds (but I like them plump). I want to show him off next year at horse shows. He's such a looker that I want to show him under english. I think he'd look rather stunning. But to do that, I need to know how to ride english. I figured I'd learn on Rain. He's pretty good with puttering around the yard and has a bunch of cues on him. I can't seem to post on him for some reason (of course I dont' know what I'm doing). But Rain got it in his head that we needed to go faster than a trot (because I was bouncing around). He really is such a tolerant boy. So he picked up into a canter! I know I've loped him before down the road but I've never cantered in an english saddle. It was exilerating. I see now why people ride english! :-)
After just a little bit of time riding Rain, I got back to work doing chores. I now need to start graining Thor and Babe. I think Thor has lost some weight even with a round bale in his pen 24x7. I think he needs his teeth floated. With him being blind, I worry about hauling him but I had a bad experience with a vet trying to float a horse not in stocks. So I'll probably figure out a time to haul a few in to get their teeth floated and figure out how to pay the bill.
But to grain Thor and Babe, I have to halter and tie Sahara and Prince. Prince wasn't too keen on haltering just because I haven't really handled him much. But once the halter was on, he was a pocket pony. He really is an amazing boy. Once he has his own person, he's going to be (pardon my french) one helluva horse and he's gorgeous too! He patiently stood with me while we watched Thor and Babe devour their grain mash.
Sahara on the other hand decided to throw a temper tantrum while being tied. She really only had one or two full out wild bronc moments. She's going to do everything the hard way and learn every lesson the hard way. I wish I could tell her the easy way but she wouldn't listen even if I tried. I'll admit that I am a "Type A" person. I also think that Sahara is a "Type A" horse. It has to be her way. She's pinned her ears at me a couple times and tried to take a chunk out of me. But I really think she's trying to put me in my place to be boss mare. Of course that doesn't fly with me because I. AM. BOSSMARE. But once I told her no, she behaved so it's just a matter of being the alpha.Just more work for me.
Unfortunately Babe licked up her grain and then went to check out the commotion. She really doesn't like Sahara being upset. I figured it was time for Sahara to be done (and for me to be done too!) I untied Sahara and we worked for a few minutes on leading, stopping, and backing. She gets leading and stopping. I wish she was as calm about standing as her mother. Savanna will stand for hours tied without even lifting a hoof to paw. Mayhem paws a little but stops after a few minutes when she realizes it's not worth the effort. Sahara - not so much. I know it's just a learning curve. I figure she wasnt' even touchable up until mid summer. Some horses just take longer to learn than others. But Sahara will be tied every night while Thor and Babe have their evening mash.
I feel like we are on a wild roller coaster ride some days.
I know Rain isn't a rescue, but I decided I'd take him out and putter around the yard. I want to show Bo under english but I haven't yet tried riding him. I don't yet think he's to the right weight. He could stand to gain another 50 pounds (but I like them plump). I want to show him off next year at horse shows. He's such a looker that I want to show him under english. I think he'd look rather stunning. But to do that, I need to know how to ride english. I figured I'd learn on Rain. He's pretty good with puttering around the yard and has a bunch of cues on him. I can't seem to post on him for some reason (of course I dont' know what I'm doing). But Rain got it in his head that we needed to go faster than a trot (because I was bouncing around). He really is such a tolerant boy. So he picked up into a canter! I know I've loped him before down the road but I've never cantered in an english saddle. It was exilerating. I see now why people ride english! :-)
After just a little bit of time riding Rain, I got back to work doing chores. I now need to start graining Thor and Babe. I think Thor has lost some weight even with a round bale in his pen 24x7. I think he needs his teeth floated. With him being blind, I worry about hauling him but I had a bad experience with a vet trying to float a horse not in stocks. So I'll probably figure out a time to haul a few in to get their teeth floated and figure out how to pay the bill.
But to grain Thor and Babe, I have to halter and tie Sahara and Prince. Prince wasn't too keen on haltering just because I haven't really handled him much. But once the halter was on, he was a pocket pony. He really is an amazing boy. Once he has his own person, he's going to be (pardon my french) one helluva horse and he's gorgeous too! He patiently stood with me while we watched Thor and Babe devour their grain mash.
Sahara on the other hand decided to throw a temper tantrum while being tied. She really only had one or two full out wild bronc moments. She's going to do everything the hard way and learn every lesson the hard way. I wish I could tell her the easy way but she wouldn't listen even if I tried. I'll admit that I am a "Type A" person. I also think that Sahara is a "Type A" horse. It has to be her way. She's pinned her ears at me a couple times and tried to take a chunk out of me. But I really think she's trying to put me in my place to be boss mare. Of course that doesn't fly with me because I. AM. BOSSMARE. But once I told her no, she behaved so it's just a matter of being the alpha.
Unfortunately Babe licked up her grain and then went to check out the commotion. She really doesn't like Sahara being upset. I figured it was time for Sahara to be done (and for me to be done too!) I untied Sahara and we worked for a few minutes on leading, stopping, and backing. She gets leading and stopping. I wish she was as calm about standing as her mother. Savanna will stand for hours tied without even lifting a hoof to paw. Mayhem paws a little but stops after a few minutes when she realizes it's not worth the effort. Sahara - not so much. I know it's just a learning curve. I figure she wasnt' even touchable up until mid summer. Some horses just take longer to learn than others. But Sahara will be tied every night while Thor and Babe have their evening mash.
I feel like we are on a wild roller coaster ride some days.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Senior Moments Post from Home At Last
Brought tears to my eyes. I completely understand what this sanctuary goes through on a day-to-day basis. Always hard to watch those dignified warriors grow old and wane. The least we can do is provide them comfort and love in their last years, months, days, hours, minutes on this earth.
http://homeatlastsanctuary.blogspot.com/2011/09/having-senior-momentsthe-older-equine.html
http://homeatlastsanctuary.blogspot.com/2011/09/having-senior-momentsthe-older-equine.html
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Rabbit One Year Later
I've been doubting myself lately about Savanna and her weight. But then I look at Rabbit and think maybe Savanna will be fine once Prize is not nursing any more. I guess it all just takes time. The following are two pictures of Rabbit both taking in September. The first pictures is September of this year, one year later. She's nice a plump. If she wasn't lame in her back end, she'd be one heck of a tank on a trail.
The second picture is of Rabbit a few days after we brought her home last September. Mayhem was still nursing. Poor girl was thin. Not thin like Savanna but still thinner than a momma should be when they are nursing and going into the fall. The picture doesn't show how thin she really was. I'm glad that Rabbit packed on the pounds and she's looking fantastic. Hopefully Savanna will be the same way.
The second picture is of Rabbit a few days after we brought her home last September. Mayhem was still nursing. Poor girl was thin. Not thin like Savanna but still thinner than a momma should be when they are nursing and going into the fall. The picture doesn't show how thin she really was. I'm glad that Rabbit packed on the pounds and she's looking fantastic. Hopefully Savanna will be the same way.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Jittery
I'm jittery and nervous. I've already seen a couple ads for free or very cheaply priced horses. The free horses bother me the most. So easy for a KB to swoop in, act like they are innocent, and wisk these horses to an untimely and gruesome death. I emailed on one to see if I could get more information. We'll see if I get a response.
What we need now are donations. My time and money are limited but I'm willing to give up every last second of my time to save horses from going to slaughter.
Although I'm considered a Sanctuary where those that come in stay forever, I'm willing to work with other rescues to pull horses from bad situations and rehome. I don't know if I'm allowed to beg for donations yet as Borderlands is not a non-profit (anyone willing to help with the paperwork... I'm over my head when it comes to paperwork and I'm focused on the day-to-day care of the horses). I think I'm to the point of begging for help though, which is very hard for me.
I've had a few people graciously offer to come and help but I feel guilty. I don't want to stick them with icky jobs that I should be doing, you know cleaning up after me because I'm short on time and have to cut corners. But it may be that I'm to the point where I have to ask for help around the place too. Anyone want to help do some fencing and clean up junk buildings/wood?
Now is the time that we all need to step up and help the horses. I've discovered that October is probably the worst month for horses. Now is the time to help.
What we need now are donations. My time and money are limited but I'm willing to give up every last second of my time to save horses from going to slaughter.
Although I'm considered a Sanctuary where those that come in stay forever, I'm willing to work with other rescues to pull horses from bad situations and rehome. I don't know if I'm allowed to beg for donations yet as Borderlands is not a non-profit (anyone willing to help with the paperwork... I'm over my head when it comes to paperwork and I'm focused on the day-to-day care of the horses). I think I'm to the point of begging for help though, which is very hard for me.
I've had a few people graciously offer to come and help but I feel guilty. I don't want to stick them with icky jobs that I should be doing, you know cleaning up after me because I'm short on time and have to cut corners. But it may be that I'm to the point where I have to ask for help around the place too. Anyone want to help do some fencing and clean up junk buildings/wood?
Now is the time that we all need to step up and help the horses. I've discovered that October is probably the worst month for horses. Now is the time to help.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Finally...Pictures!
Finally! I had just a few minutes while waiting for the water troughs to fill and thought I would snap a few pictures. What do you know but my camera died after just a few pics. I did get a couple pics of Savanna, Prize, and Rabbit but I'll save those for another time. Until then, here's a few pictures of Sam, the ponies, and Flower. Thought you might like to see her weight gain.
Sam, not so patiently waiting for his evening meal. Notice the teeth marks on the gate? That's courtesy of Savanna.
Flower. Probably not the best angles to see her weight gain but even Mike mentioned that she's putting on some weight!
Crabby Queen
Flower making a pass while waiting for her grain. That girl can't seem to stand still. Mayhem on the other hand is lazy and would rather stand around and watch than pace like Flower.
It's hard to see but there is a butt on that girl! Not yet a nice round butt but we are working on it!
My sweet Flower!!
Let the ponies out to stretch their legs. It was a bit hard to convince them to lope around to get good pictures.
Tommy wasn't impressed with me pushing him around the pasture. He wanted to eat!
Naughty Skippy and Tommy. I'm thinking Skippy would be fun to drive. Pretty little headset and everything.
Little stinker Skippy rubbed off his gorgeous mane and forelock. Can't have anything nice with ponies.
Sam, not so patiently waiting for his evening meal. Notice the teeth marks on the gate? That's courtesy of Savanna.
Flower. Probably not the best angles to see her weight gain but even Mike mentioned that she's putting on some weight!
Crabby Queen
Flower making a pass while waiting for her grain. That girl can't seem to stand still. Mayhem on the other hand is lazy and would rather stand around and watch than pace like Flower.
It's hard to see but there is a butt on that girl! Not yet a nice round butt but we are working on it!
My sweet Flower!!
Let the ponies out to stretch their legs. It was a bit hard to convince them to lope around to get good pictures.
Tommy wasn't impressed with me pushing him around the pasture. He wanted to eat!
Naughty Skippy and Tommy. I'm thinking Skippy would be fun to drive. Pretty little headset and everything.
Little stinker Skippy rubbed off his gorgeous mane and forelock. Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Picture Night
I know, they aren't horse pictures but they are pictures. Figured it might be nice to see some color on this blog. The following pics were taken back in August when we went on vacation.
I couldn't resist sharing a picture of Trouble. I bust out laughing every time I see pictures like this of our little monster min pin.
Stupid blogger, not sure what happened and I'm too lazy to reupload the picture. :-)
I couldn't resist sharing a picture of Trouble. I bust out laughing every time I see pictures like this of our little monster min pin.
Stupid blogger, not sure what happened and I'm too lazy to reupload the picture. :-)
Auction Time :-(
October is auction season. There are two auctions coming up in October/November.
October 15th is the Sioux Falls Regional Livestock Horse Sale starting at 11am. This is not a cataloged sale. I expect lots of horses and few buyers. I also expect that 95% of the loose horses will go to slaughter.
October 29th or November 5th is the Mitchell Livestock Horse Sale. Again, I expect 95% of the loose horses to go to slaughter.
Now is the time to act. Now is the time to do something for these horses. We are full at Borderlands but if people would be willing to donate for the pull, vet, farrier, and feed, we could pull one or two, evaluate them, bring them to health and put them up for adoption.
Now is the time to do the right thing even with it's the hardest thing in the world. Even if you have no money, have no space, you DO have a voice. Speak out for those that do not have a voice. Here is your opportunity to Pay It Forward.
October 15th is the Sioux Falls Regional Livestock Horse Sale starting at 11am. This is not a cataloged sale. I expect lots of horses and few buyers. I also expect that 95% of the loose horses will go to slaughter.
October 29th or November 5th is the Mitchell Livestock Horse Sale. Again, I expect 95% of the loose horses to go to slaughter.
Now is the time to act. Now is the time to do something for these horses. We are full at Borderlands but if people would be willing to donate for the pull, vet, farrier, and feed, we could pull one or two, evaluate them, bring them to health and put them up for adoption.
Now is the time to do the right thing even with it's the hardest thing in the world. Even if you have no money, have no space, you DO have a voice. Speak out for those that do not have a voice. Here is your opportunity to Pay It Forward.
Relaxed
This weekend I had an opportunity to attend a beautiful and quaint wedding in Minneapolis. Surprisingly, it felt like a mini vacation. I felt more relaxed after that short 36 hour adventure than I have in weeks. I still can't seem to get anything accomplished at home but I'm relaxed even with the pressure of winter soon upon us.
The horses are starting to get their winter coats in. I finally get to see the horses too. The flies aren't as terrible now so the fly masks aren't on all the time. In the summer, I don't get to see the horses' eyes but in the winter I don't get to feel their coats. It's a catch 22 some days.
The only horse not putting on a winter coat is Flower. I may be screwing her winter coat up. We had a cold, drizzly period where I left a sheet/blanket on Flower until the weather improved. So she unfortunately hasn't had an opportunity to start working on her winter coat. I'm keeping a close eye on the weather and temperatures. She may have to be blanketed all winter. Although, she has gained a bit of weight so I might let her go without a sheet if the weather improves. The next few days are supposed to be chilly and then back into the 70s! I love fall weather and I really hope that it lasts. My goal is to get as much weight on Flower before the first snowflake falls. So far after two months of pumping her full of grain (and now beet pulp), Flower seems to be gaining weight. I was also worried about Queen. She didn't come back from last winter as well. But with the twice a day grain and daily beet pulp, Queen is looking good too (for being 33 years old).
Sam is on my watch list. He's dropped a bit of weight and I can't seem to get it back. He's on daily grain and beet pulp but I have to keep an even closer eye on Sam because of his ulcers. I need to order a few months worth of ulcer medicine in case anything flares up. The ulcers take away his weight. I may have to look at the possibilities that he'll either be a super hard keeper this winter or the other alternative. But I don't like that idea so we'll wait. It may be this will be his last winter and he'll enjoy one more summer and we'll go from there. He's following in Bob's footsteps it seems (even if Bob's feet were 9 inch pie plate!) Sure do miss that big guy.
I have exciting news about Savanna and Prize but we'll wait to share that one for now. I have to keep you all in suspense on some things don't I?
Mayhem is just a dream. Every time I feed the mares (both morning and night), I have to tie Mayhem to a tree. She just stands there without any complaints. She's such an amazing girl.
I decided that since Mayhem is going so well that I better start working with Sahara. She has a 180 personality to Mayhem. Sahara will be a struggle for me. I think she has that "go getter" attitude but wants to do things her way, which doesn't fly. It's my way or no way. We pushed a bale in to the blind pen last night. The other three (Thor, Babe, and Prince) chow down on alfalfa while I halter and lead Sahara. She's getting better about being haltered and standing next to the running tractor. I also looped the lead rope around a post. I wanted to see how she would react to being "tied" without worrying about a wreck (it was getting too dark to worry about a major catastrophe). She tested the lead rope and worked her way free but she didn't freak out like I had expected. I'll have to start working with her every day to get her to stand tied. She leads alright but there's a lot of work to do on her. I'm always shocked at how small she is compared to Mayhem. Sahara looks like a weanling not a yearling. I should get the two girls together for another picture to show the difference in what good care versus neglect/starvation can and does do to the growth of these young ones. I also wormed Sahara with a small dose of Panacur. I need to keep up with it to get her better. I left her alone to be a horse for the past few months, now it's time to be a part of the "family" and play nice.
Speaking of blind horses, Thor is now on my watch list. He's lost a little bit of weight even with a round bale in front of him 24x7. I'm sure it's just old age. He's 23 years old (although I don't consider that old). But the weight around his spine is sagging and his hip bones sometimes show when he cocks a leg. He's not as plump as I had hoped so he's no on my watch list. I might put Babe on my watch list too just because she's getting up there. I'll have to come up with a different arrangement for feeding time. Prince is "in your pocket" and I don't want him disturbing Babe and Thor from their meal. Maybe once I have Sahara standing tied patiently I'll be able to add a little bit to Thor and Babe's diet.
I'm trying to come up with a solution for the blind pen. With four horses in the pen, I need a better shelter. I have an idea but it'll cost some $$ because there's not enough time to build another open front. We started building an open front last fall (October-ish) and it's still not finished. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll get it finished this weekend or next. I really don't want to say that it took us a full year to build an open front. Maybe smaller is better.
I'm also looking to buy a smaller hoop building for where Rabbit and Savanna are at. The older mares will go in the barn this winter but there's only so many stalls. So I have to come up with options for stalling horses in different pastures and locations. This winter will be more interesting than last because we have more to care for this winter. We'll see if my plan works. But I need to do some major cleanup before all that happens. I'm guessing we'll be making at least one trip to the dump if not multiple trips. But it'll feel good to have some of the clutter gone and be ready for winter. I'd be panicking if I hadn't come back from a relaxing mini vacation.
The days are getting so much shorter that I struggle with finding time to get everything done AND get pictures. We'll see how the next few days go to see if I can snap a few pics and get them posted. I'm sure you're all getting tired of me rambling with no pictures. Now that I'm back and relaxed, I'll hopefully be able to post more to keep you all in the loop.
The horses are starting to get their winter coats in. I finally get to see the horses too. The flies aren't as terrible now so the fly masks aren't on all the time. In the summer, I don't get to see the horses' eyes but in the winter I don't get to feel their coats. It's a catch 22 some days.
The only horse not putting on a winter coat is Flower. I may be screwing her winter coat up. We had a cold, drizzly period where I left a sheet/blanket on Flower until the weather improved. So she unfortunately hasn't had an opportunity to start working on her winter coat. I'm keeping a close eye on the weather and temperatures. She may have to be blanketed all winter. Although, she has gained a bit of weight so I might let her go without a sheet if the weather improves. The next few days are supposed to be chilly and then back into the 70s! I love fall weather and I really hope that it lasts. My goal is to get as much weight on Flower before the first snowflake falls. So far after two months of pumping her full of grain (and now beet pulp), Flower seems to be gaining weight. I was also worried about Queen. She didn't come back from last winter as well. But with the twice a day grain and daily beet pulp, Queen is looking good too (for being 33 years old).
Sam is on my watch list. He's dropped a bit of weight and I can't seem to get it back. He's on daily grain and beet pulp but I have to keep an even closer eye on Sam because of his ulcers. I need to order a few months worth of ulcer medicine in case anything flares up. The ulcers take away his weight. I may have to look at the possibilities that he'll either be a super hard keeper this winter or the other alternative. But I don't like that idea so we'll wait. It may be this will be his last winter and he'll enjoy one more summer and we'll go from there. He's following in Bob's footsteps it seems (even if Bob's feet were 9 inch pie plate!) Sure do miss that big guy.
I have exciting news about Savanna and Prize but we'll wait to share that one for now. I have to keep you all in suspense on some things don't I?
Mayhem is just a dream. Every time I feed the mares (both morning and night), I have to tie Mayhem to a tree. She just stands there without any complaints. She's such an amazing girl.
I decided that since Mayhem is going so well that I better start working with Sahara. She has a 180 personality to Mayhem. Sahara will be a struggle for me. I think she has that "go getter" attitude but wants to do things her way, which doesn't fly. It's my way or no way. We pushed a bale in to the blind pen last night. The other three (Thor, Babe, and Prince) chow down on alfalfa while I halter and lead Sahara. She's getting better about being haltered and standing next to the running tractor. I also looped the lead rope around a post. I wanted to see how she would react to being "tied" without worrying about a wreck (it was getting too dark to worry about a major catastrophe). She tested the lead rope and worked her way free but she didn't freak out like I had expected. I'll have to start working with her every day to get her to stand tied. She leads alright but there's a lot of work to do on her. I'm always shocked at how small she is compared to Mayhem. Sahara looks like a weanling not a yearling. I should get the two girls together for another picture to show the difference in what good care versus neglect/starvation can and does do to the growth of these young ones. I also wormed Sahara with a small dose of Panacur. I need to keep up with it to get her better. I left her alone to be a horse for the past few months, now it's time to be a part of the "family" and play nice.
Speaking of blind horses, Thor is now on my watch list. He's lost a little bit of weight even with a round bale in front of him 24x7. I'm sure it's just old age. He's 23 years old (although I don't consider that old). But the weight around his spine is sagging and his hip bones sometimes show when he cocks a leg. He's not as plump as I had hoped so he's no on my watch list. I might put Babe on my watch list too just because she's getting up there. I'll have to come up with a different arrangement for feeding time. Prince is "in your pocket" and I don't want him disturbing Babe and Thor from their meal. Maybe once I have Sahara standing tied patiently I'll be able to add a little bit to Thor and Babe's diet.
I'm trying to come up with a solution for the blind pen. With four horses in the pen, I need a better shelter. I have an idea but it'll cost some $$ because there's not enough time to build another open front. We started building an open front last fall (October-ish) and it's still not finished. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll get it finished this weekend or next. I really don't want to say that it took us a full year to build an open front. Maybe smaller is better.
I'm also looking to buy a smaller hoop building for where Rabbit and Savanna are at. The older mares will go in the barn this winter but there's only so many stalls. So I have to come up with options for stalling horses in different pastures and locations. This winter will be more interesting than last because we have more to care for this winter. We'll see if my plan works. But I need to do some major cleanup before all that happens. I'm guessing we'll be making at least one trip to the dump if not multiple trips. But it'll feel good to have some of the clutter gone and be ready for winter. I'd be panicking if I hadn't come back from a relaxing mini vacation.
The days are getting so much shorter that I struggle with finding time to get everything done AND get pictures. We'll see how the next few days go to see if I can snap a few pics and get them posted. I'm sure you're all getting tired of me rambling with no pictures. Now that I'm back and relaxed, I'll hopefully be able to post more to keep you all in the loop.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Disturbing Thoughts
We have returned to chores in the dark, much to my dismay. I've been mulling over a thought that deeply disturbs me. I'm sure that I've talked about it in the past but the thought still disturbs me.
I am a flight animal. I'll flee before I fight but corner me and I'll fight. So in the dark that is before dawn I putter to do morning chores. The animals of the night are still wandering. On occassion I'll be out and have the hair on the back of my neck stand up or have tingles race through my entire body because I know there is something out there (but very near to me). It's usually just a racoon or some other type of varmit. It's always the unknown that spooks me.
The thought that disturbs me is that I can always run away from these feelings, knowing that I'm being silly (beause it's usually just a varmit). There's the safety of the house not too far away.
The fear is real but so is the safety and comfort. But I keep thinking of the horses standing in the slaughter pipeline with nowhere to run, no where to flee. I can't imagine what type of sensory overload they are going through. There is no safety, no comfort. How petrified they must be; how betrayed they must feel.
Silly things like shadows in the dark spook me and they aren't real fears. I cannot fathom the pure terror these horses are going through. There is no where for them to go, no one to comfort them, there is only death. I can't quite explain the disturbing feeling well enough. I doubt that I ever will. For those that believe in slaughter, I would like to put them into the most terrifying situation and see how they react. It's simply a disturbing thought that I can never shake nor can I fully explain the depth of my thoughts. Perhaps I'll spend some downtime to try and explain it better some day. I know this post doesn't make sense and I wish I could put into words the feelings I have. But the thought that even though I may be spooked, I still have the comfort of "home" where horses standing in the slaughter feedlots/pipleine do not have that comfort. Each morning that disturbing thought flitters through my mind and there is sorrow in my heart for those lives lost to a cruel fate. But the only way to stop slaughter is to stop over breeding. So the next time you are out with your horses in the predawn light, give them a hug for me.
I am a flight animal. I'll flee before I fight but corner me and I'll fight. So in the dark that is before dawn I putter to do morning chores. The animals of the night are still wandering. On occassion I'll be out and have the hair on the back of my neck stand up or have tingles race through my entire body because I know there is something out there (but very near to me). It's usually just a racoon or some other type of varmit. It's always the unknown that spooks me.
The thought that disturbs me is that I can always run away from these feelings, knowing that I'm being silly (beause it's usually just a varmit). There's the safety of the house not too far away.
The fear is real but so is the safety and comfort. But I keep thinking of the horses standing in the slaughter pipeline with nowhere to run, no where to flee. I can't imagine what type of sensory overload they are going through. There is no safety, no comfort. How petrified they must be; how betrayed they must feel.
Silly things like shadows in the dark spook me and they aren't real fears. I cannot fathom the pure terror these horses are going through. There is no where for them to go, no one to comfort them, there is only death. I can't quite explain the disturbing feeling well enough. I doubt that I ever will. For those that believe in slaughter, I would like to put them into the most terrifying situation and see how they react. It's simply a disturbing thought that I can never shake nor can I fully explain the depth of my thoughts. Perhaps I'll spend some downtime to try and explain it better some day. I know this post doesn't make sense and I wish I could put into words the feelings I have. But the thought that even though I may be spooked, I still have the comfort of "home" where horses standing in the slaughter feedlots/pipleine do not have that comfort. Each morning that disturbing thought flitters through my mind and there is sorrow in my heart for those lives lost to a cruel fate. But the only way to stop slaughter is to stop over breeding. So the next time you are out with your horses in the predawn light, give them a hug for me.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Skywatching
I had my skywatch photos but blogger didn't like me. Thought you'd at least want to see a couple pictures.
Looking Up?
Thanks to a very good friend, I went on a very much needed trail ride. I'd thought about bailing because I was so stressed over getting everything done. But she convinced me that I should go riding instead. Thank you Stacy A. for hauling my lazy butt around and convincing me to go. I am rejuvenated (albeit a little sore). :-) I should have taken Chaos but I took Zeke instead as Chaos is still in Madison. I'll be hauling him and the other three naughty horses home this Sunday.
While on the trail ride, I noticed an oddity. On most rides, people ride geldings. This time around, the majority of the horses were mares, and there were many riders on this trail ride. I'm not sure if it was due to most mares being out of season or what. I guess some people figure they might as well ride their newly bred mares and others just prefer to ride mares. But even if some were bred, they were broke to ride. I'm not really thrilled with bred mares because it means more horses born into this world, but each mare on that trail ride goes to show that you don't have to JUST have a broodmare. Mares can ALSO be used as riding horses. So hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel and people will be more willing to TRAIN their mares instead of selling them at auction when they can no longer produce babies or decide they no longer want to make babies. There is hope.
While I was playing, Mike, Mom, and Dad were busy working on the place fixing things the horses smashed this spring/summer. It's amazing how much a horse can ruin if you don't keep up with it. They broke the door frame going into the barn this spring and also damaged the door. Along with that, they broke the corner of the leanto off the barn. Mike, Mom, and Dad worked like crazy to get everything fixed and now it looks and works beautifully. I owe them so much.
After a long but very fun trail ride, I had work to do. I got to work doing normal chores but figured I'd better get the herd at the neighbor's home. The pasture is gone over there and the horses needed to come home. Hopefully in a couple of weeks, I can haul some of the horse back over, if the grass comes back (keeping my fingers crossed). I first loaded up Sam and Rain. When I got back for Dude, Ivan, and Brego it was dark. Luckily the moon was out but it was still dark. I hate loading horses in the dark. Silly me didn't tie Ivan up right and he escaped while I was preoccupied with Dude's temper tantrum. Luckily Ivan let Mike catch him (after a little bit) and we loaded Ivan and Brego quickly before Dude started doing somersaults in the trailer. I'm not exactly sure what Dude's problem was last night. Some days it's hard to tell what his problem is, other than he's naughty. It's such a shame that he has "hunter's bump" and cannot be ridden. He would have made a perfect ranch horse.
We got everyone settled and then had to push a round bale in to the blind pen. The blind horses managed to mangle a fence line and I'll be working on that tonight. But with the big herd home, I wanted to distract the blind herd to make sure they stayed away from the mangled fence. Hopefully no one decides they want to join the big herd.there's always some type of fencing to do. Does anyone have a cheap or discounted bale feeder they would like to sell?
Tonight is drill practice so there won't be much time for anything but chores. The days are getting so much shorter. It's now dark by 8pm and I simply can't get everything done. I have a two column page and a half "Honey Do" list that I can't seem to get very far on. Although I am inspired. After seeing the progress Mike, Dad, and Mom made on the place, I am rejuvenated and ready to get cracking on yet another big project! Lets get these projects done before the first snowfall! eep...snow!
While on the trail ride, I noticed an oddity. On most rides, people ride geldings. This time around, the majority of the horses were mares, and there were many riders on this trail ride. I'm not sure if it was due to most mares being out of season or what. I guess some people figure they might as well ride their newly bred mares and others just prefer to ride mares. But even if some were bred, they were broke to ride. I'm not really thrilled with bred mares because it means more horses born into this world, but each mare on that trail ride goes to show that you don't have to JUST have a broodmare. Mares can ALSO be used as riding horses. So hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel and people will be more willing to TRAIN their mares instead of selling them at auction when they can no longer produce babies or decide they no longer want to make babies. There is hope.
While I was playing, Mike, Mom, and Dad were busy working on the place fixing things the horses smashed this spring/summer. It's amazing how much a horse can ruin if you don't keep up with it. They broke the door frame going into the barn this spring and also damaged the door. Along with that, they broke the corner of the leanto off the barn. Mike, Mom, and Dad worked like crazy to get everything fixed and now it looks and works beautifully. I owe them so much.
After a long but very fun trail ride, I had work to do. I got to work doing normal chores but figured I'd better get the herd at the neighbor's home. The pasture is gone over there and the horses needed to come home. Hopefully in a couple of weeks, I can haul some of the horse back over, if the grass comes back (keeping my fingers crossed). I first loaded up Sam and Rain. When I got back for Dude, Ivan, and Brego it was dark. Luckily the moon was out but it was still dark. I hate loading horses in the dark. Silly me didn't tie Ivan up right and he escaped while I was preoccupied with Dude's temper tantrum. Luckily Ivan let Mike catch him (after a little bit) and we loaded Ivan and Brego quickly before Dude started doing somersaults in the trailer. I'm not exactly sure what Dude's problem was last night. Some days it's hard to tell what his problem is, other than he's naughty. It's such a shame that he has "hunter's bump" and cannot be ridden. He would have made a perfect ranch horse.
We got everyone settled and then had to push a round bale in to the blind pen. The blind horses managed to mangle a fence line and I'll be working on that tonight. But with the big herd home, I wanted to distract the blind herd to make sure they stayed away from the mangled fence. Hopefully no one decides they want to join the big herd.
Tonight is drill practice so there won't be much time for anything but chores. The days are getting so much shorter. It's now dark by 8pm and I simply can't get everything done. I have a two column page and a half "Honey Do" list that I can't seem to get very far on. Although I am inspired. After seeing the progress Mike, Dad, and Mom made on the place, I am rejuvenated and ready to get cracking on yet another big project! Lets get these projects done before the first snowfall! eep...snow!
Joy and Sorrow of Fall
The blog posts from Home At Last really seem to be hitting home for me. I thought I would share another of their posts.
http://homeatlastsanctuary.blogspot.com/2011/09/that-time-of-year.html
Being a sanctuary is a little different than a rescue. Sanctuary life means watching your beloved old friends grow old and then being responsible for thier final breath on this earth. It's a devistating decision but a responsible decision because quality always overrides quantity.
We too have horses on our "watch list" and will have to make decisions soon on whether certain horses can last another winter or if they will go peacefully on a sunny fall day. As much as I love fall, I also dread it knowing that there are hard decisions to make in the near future.
http://homeatlastsanctuary.blogspot.com/2011/09/that-time-of-year.html
Being a sanctuary is a little different than a rescue. Sanctuary life means watching your beloved old friends grow old and then being responsible for thier final breath on this earth. It's a devistating decision but a responsible decision because quality always overrides quantity.
We too have horses on our "watch list" and will have to make decisions soon on whether certain horses can last another winter or if they will go peacefully on a sunny fall day. As much as I love fall, I also dread it knowing that there are hard decisions to make in the near future.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Your Thoughts on an Idea
I was reading Joe's blog, Thoroughbred Friends (aka TB Friends). He posts daily about horses and life at his rescue. He brought up an amazing idea, a community rescue. People donate one dollar towards the rescue of a horse. The details are still in the works. I truely think this is a fantastic idea. Borderlands will most definitely be sending a dollar towards the rescue of a horse. Read his blog to see more details. http://www.tbfriends.com/
Perhaps we could do something similar for a horse in need in the South Dakota area? What are your thoughts on the idea?
Perhaps we could do something similar for a horse in need in the South Dakota area? What are your thoughts on the idea?
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Out of Sorts
Sorry for not posting over the long holiday. I've been out of sorts lately. I've successfully lost the camera so whenever that resurfaces, I'll take pictures of the herd if I can get out before the sun sets.
We had absolutely gorgeous weather, perfect for riding. But I didn't go anywhere or do any riding. I will admit I was disappointed.
Saturday we moved the horses around at the neighbor's. They've been grazing over there for four weeks and we are trying to eek out as much grass before having to bring them back. The big pasture isn't holding up. This fall we will be spraying and hopefully fertilizing. I'm afraid we'll be feeding hay much sooner than I had anticipated. I guess we will be on the lookout for additional hay to cover the extra months of hay instead of pasture.
The herd at the neighbor's seemed really spooked when I checked on them Sunday late afternoon. They were spooked enough to take down the electric fence in six spots but luckily they didn't go anywhere. Thank goodness for good boys. While I was checking on the horses, I wandered in to the trees and heard the telltale noise of a tree getting ready to fall. The hair on the back of my neck rose pretty quick when I realized the noise was behind and to the left of me. I thought the tree was going to come down right on me! Luckily I had the good sense not to run to the left where I heard the noise but I didn't have the good sense to run to the right where I had come. Instead I hopped a huge downed tree branch and kept running straight ahead (probably in the line of the tree fall). Luckily the tree didn't go down but myself and the horses were spooked.
The horses were still a little spooked yesterday afternoon when I went to feed Sam his daily grain. Luckily with some fly spray and a few good pats, they all settled down and stood around waiting for Sam to get done eating. Sam turned up his nose at the beet pulp. I guess he wanted his grain first instead. He didn't snoof up all his grain that he dropped on the ground like normally does so I hope all is ok today. I checked on them this morning but only Dude came out of the trees and I wasn't inclined to tromp through tall grass, weeds, and trees to find the other boys in the dark with the smell of skunk hanging in the air. The neighbor has a skunk I can't seem to track down (but maybe that's a good thing as long as he doesn't come visit us).
Chaos, Maverick, Jim, and King are doing well at mom and dad's. They are eating down everything and enjoying the smaller herd situation. I wish I could make smaller pastures/pens so that there's less compitition but there's the issue with the automatic water to contend with. I guess I'll have to come up with something becaues the herds seem to be doing pretty well with this grouping.
I swear Flower is gaining weight but it's so hard to know for sure. I wish so hard that she's gaining weight that maybe I'm seeing things that aren't there. With the cooler weather, I've been putting a sheet on her at night to keep the chill and the damp off her. She tolerates me messing with her but she's found a way to get the sheet off when she doesn't want to wear it any more.
The other morning I heard Skippy whinnying up a storm. I knew something was wrong because only Tommy was replying. Any time those two start in at each other, it means somethings wrong. At first I thought it was just Skippy giving me the whatfor for not getting out earlier to feed him. Nope. Instead, it was Skippy frantically running around with the old mares. He'd managed to fall out of the pen when he was giving himself a good scratch on the fence. Luckily Skippy was more than willing to be caught once the big horses were away. The old mares weren't too thrilled with all the commotion and were happy to see Skippy leave their pasture. Skippy settled right down when he was near Tommy. I swear those two are connected at the hip.
Mayhem is doing amazingly well. When I feed the old girls, I have to tie her so there's no competition between the young and the old. She will stand there for hours. I'll get the old mares fed and then head over to feed Sam and Mayhem will patiently stand there waiting for my return. She really is going to be an absolute doll. As long as I can keep her heaves under control, she's going to be an amazing horse to work with.
Other than basic morning and evening chores, we really didn't do too much over the long weekend. I had hoped to finish up a few projects but I guess in do time they will get done. I'm hoping within the week I'll not be out of sorts and things can return to normal. Until then, if there aren't many posts, it's because I'm still out of sorts.
We had absolutely gorgeous weather, perfect for riding. But I didn't go anywhere or do any riding. I will admit I was disappointed.
Saturday we moved the horses around at the neighbor's. They've been grazing over there for four weeks and we are trying to eek out as much grass before having to bring them back. The big pasture isn't holding up. This fall we will be spraying and hopefully fertilizing. I'm afraid we'll be feeding hay much sooner than I had anticipated. I guess we will be on the lookout for additional hay to cover the extra months of hay instead of pasture.
The herd at the neighbor's seemed really spooked when I checked on them Sunday late afternoon. They were spooked enough to take down the electric fence in six spots but luckily they didn't go anywhere. Thank goodness for good boys. While I was checking on the horses, I wandered in to the trees and heard the telltale noise of a tree getting ready to fall. The hair on the back of my neck rose pretty quick when I realized the noise was behind and to the left of me. I thought the tree was going to come down right on me! Luckily I had the good sense not to run to the left where I heard the noise but I didn't have the good sense to run to the right where I had come. Instead I hopped a huge downed tree branch and kept running straight ahead (probably in the line of the tree fall). Luckily the tree didn't go down but myself and the horses were spooked.
The horses were still a little spooked yesterday afternoon when I went to feed Sam his daily grain. Luckily with some fly spray and a few good pats, they all settled down and stood around waiting for Sam to get done eating. Sam turned up his nose at the beet pulp. I guess he wanted his grain first instead. He didn't snoof up all his grain that he dropped on the ground like normally does so I hope all is ok today. I checked on them this morning but only Dude came out of the trees and I wasn't inclined to tromp through tall grass, weeds, and trees to find the other boys in the dark with the smell of skunk hanging in the air. The neighbor has a skunk I can't seem to track down (but maybe that's a good thing as long as he doesn't come visit us).
Chaos, Maverick, Jim, and King are doing well at mom and dad's. They are eating down everything and enjoying the smaller herd situation. I wish I could make smaller pastures/pens so that there's less compitition but there's the issue with the automatic water to contend with. I guess I'll have to come up with something becaues the herds seem to be doing pretty well with this grouping.
I swear Flower is gaining weight but it's so hard to know for sure. I wish so hard that she's gaining weight that maybe I'm seeing things that aren't there. With the cooler weather, I've been putting a sheet on her at night to keep the chill and the damp off her. She tolerates me messing with her but she's found a way to get the sheet off when she doesn't want to wear it any more.
The other morning I heard Skippy whinnying up a storm. I knew something was wrong because only Tommy was replying. Any time those two start in at each other, it means somethings wrong. At first I thought it was just Skippy giving me the whatfor for not getting out earlier to feed him. Nope. Instead, it was Skippy frantically running around with the old mares. He'd managed to fall out of the pen when he was giving himself a good scratch on the fence. Luckily Skippy was more than willing to be caught once the big horses were away. The old mares weren't too thrilled with all the commotion and were happy to see Skippy leave their pasture. Skippy settled right down when he was near Tommy. I swear those two are connected at the hip.
Mayhem is doing amazingly well. When I feed the old girls, I have to tie her so there's no competition between the young and the old. She will stand there for hours. I'll get the old mares fed and then head over to feed Sam and Mayhem will patiently stand there waiting for my return. She really is going to be an absolute doll. As long as I can keep her heaves under control, she's going to be an amazing horse to work with.
Other than basic morning and evening chores, we really didn't do too much over the long weekend. I had hoped to finish up a few projects but I guess in do time they will get done. I'm hoping within the week I'll not be out of sorts and things can return to normal. Until then, if there aren't many posts, it's because I'm still out of sorts.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Another Good Blog
Yet another good blog post from Home At Last. We don't have the same number but we are running up against limitations also. Unless we receive donations or sponsorships for some horses, we don't have the capacity to bring more in (unless I can figure out how to eek just a few more pennies out of every dollar).
http://homeatlastsanctuary.blogspot.com/2011/09/limits.html
And as Home At Last said, go hug your horse!
http://homeatlastsanctuary.blogspot.com/2011/09/limits.html
And as Home At Last said, go hug your horse!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Auction Report from Fugly
Well, the new "Fugly" is attending auctions in Colorado. I'm glad someone else is going to auctions to report the types of horses, prices, and conditions. It's heart breaking and very stressful for both people and horses. After reading the report for the catalog/non-catalog horses, I'm scared to know what the loose horses would have been like.
I still don't know the kill buyers in this area. I know some of the traders (if only by appearance). I wish I had more cahoonas to step up and introduce myself and play hardball with them. You know, schmooze with them to see if I can't get my foot in the door. I don't always have to be the polite little chick sitting in the stands doing nothing. Although my farrier mentioned a name I didn't recongize but apparently the person in question knew me. Creepy. But I guess the more auctions I attend, the more people will recognize me too.
Anywho, I seem to be rambling but I wanted to share the link.
http://fuglyblog.com/2011/09/01/a-day-at-the-auction/
It's hard to take and upsetting but people need to be aware of the situation. Now is NOT the time to play osterich and put your head in the sand. As someone recently said, now is the time to scream!
I still don't know the kill buyers in this area. I know some of the traders (if only by appearance). I wish I had more cahoonas to step up and introduce myself and play hardball with them. You know, schmooze with them to see if I can't get my foot in the door. I don't always have to be the polite little chick sitting in the stands doing nothing. Although my farrier mentioned a name I didn't recongize but apparently the person in question knew me. Creepy. But I guess the more auctions I attend, the more people will recognize me too.
Anywho, I seem to be rambling but I wanted to share the link.
http://fuglyblog.com/2011/09/01/a-day-at-the-auction/
It's hard to take and upsetting but people need to be aware of the situation. Now is NOT the time to play osterich and put your head in the sand. As someone recently said, now is the time to scream!
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