A Terrible Thing

Looks like winter will be here tonight. 80% chance of rain/snow for tonight and then a 70% chance of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday. I’m already starting to worry about the hay supply. I’m not sure if we have enough. I have been throwing out hay since the first of October (in the evenings) but this morning I started throwing out hay in the mornings as well. Only Zeke was up to snag all the hay but hopefully someone else will come up to enjoy. I don’t want anyone to lose weight before going into winter.

I am going to have to cut back on the ponies’ hay. They are fat. I’m always worried about Bo (and probably always will) but Rabbit is not to the weight that I’d prefer her to be also. She may go in the barn tonight. Now that she’s older, she has a harder time warming up. I can’t put a blanket or sheet on her while she’s in the pasture because she tears them to shreds. I would rather keep them out of the drylot for a little bit longer so they can graze. I don’t really like that small drylot because there’s not as much protection from the wind. I’m hoping that maybe I can convince Mike to help put up a better wind break. There’s always so much that needs to get done before winter hits.

I am definitely not ready for winter. I need to repair the two stalls in the hay shed before winter and get corral panels set up also so that we have an extra temporary stall in the hay shed. I have a terrible feeling that if we don’t have a bad winter, we will at the very least have a bitterly cold winter, which makes life miserable for everyone. I want to make sure everyone can be snug in a stall and out of any fierce winds that we may get. I worry for those horses that can’t find protection from the wind and cold this winter but at this point, there’s really nothing more I can do.

I was just thinking back to last year. It was a year ago this past weekend that saw me in the Emergency Room. I am happy to say I didn’t go back this year to make it a yearly event. I am hoping that our hospital visits are over and that everyone in the family stays healthy. I keep thinking that the other shoe will drop and we’ll have to go in for another major health scare. Hopefully I am just oversensitive to all the hospital visits. I would much prefer a quiet winter this year!

I’m hoping that the weather doesn’t turn too quickly. We still need to clean out the drylot and spread the manure in the farmer’s field. I’m not sure there’s enough time though so we’ll see. There’s also the big barn door that requires repair before we get too much more wind. I’m afraid between the horses and the wind, the barn door isn’t going to stay on for very much longer!

I did get to enjoy some time outside yesterday after a day of riding with friends. Mike and Garrett were in Madison for the day so I had a couple of hours to mess around outside. I decided that I better take care of some cocklebur issues. I know, I’m a terrible horsey mom for doing it but…I roached Mayhem, Rabbit, Tommy, and Skippy. Tommy and Skippy look rather cute in their new haircuts. I feel bad for having to roach them but there really wasn’t much of an option other than to spend a good couple of hours pulling cockleburs. I decided that they could go with a shorter look for the winter. I forget that the ponies have different patterns on the other side of their neck so it’s fun to see. Skippy doesn’t look like a total hairball now that he isn’t sporting an afro forlock. Same goes for Tommy!

I was worried about Rabbit’s eye. I think she has uveitis in the right eye so we keep a fly mask on her almost all the time. I decided that with the haircut that we would pull the fly mask and keep it off for a while. I need to see if I can get a better flymask for her to protect her eye from the blinding sun on the snow. I’ve also taken to graining her now that the cooler weather has set in. That means, I have to halter Mayhem so that Rabbit gets all her grain along with her heaves medication. I should have been doing it all along but figure now is better than later. Mayhem surprisingly stands patiently while I hang over the gate to get the halter on. In the past she started getting naughty and running away from me when she saw the halter. Now she patiently waits while I fumble with the halter and hang all over her. I’m calling it “training” but in reality it’s just me being awkward about getting a halter on. I’m hoping that the heaves medicine will help Rabbit. She always has heaves but it seems like it’s actually worse when I grain her. I always turn her grain into a mash so the heaves aren’t caused by any dust. Rabbit definitely has some health issues (heaves, uveitis, and a lame/weak back end).

I also figured that I’d better top out the water tanks while the weather was fairly nice. Apparently I ruined a hose by leaving it out. It was taking FOREVER to fill a water tank. I thought we were having a water pressure issue. No, just a hose issue. So now we need to go buy another 300 foot hose to replace the one that I ruined.

While I was out doing chores last night, around 6pm, you could tell that the cold front was coming through. Just before I was going to throw out hay, the wind picked up. I forget how much I loathe wind and hay (at the same time). Luckily I was able to be up wind when throwing the hay (except this morning when I got a face full). I’m already dreading the daily dose of hay in the face, down the shirt, and in my ears! I got spoiled with round bales last year. We may be in search of more hay in the middle of winter so we may very well go with round bales.

Playday Pictures

Here's just a few pictures from our playday. Go to our Facebook page to see the rest of the pictures! We know how to have fun!!!!

Thursday Ramblings

Another busy but non-Sanctuary related day yesterday. The paying job has me hopping so there’s not a lot of extra time to get anything done other than minimal chores. Hopefully by next week I’ll catch a break and get some breathing room again from the paying job.

The days are definitely getting shorter and much colder! I know winter is just around the corner and it shouldn’t take me by surprise but it always does. I was hoping that the pastures would hold out for another couple of weeks but I’m afraid they are done and the big herd is over grazing. I’m going to have to figure out how to wake up earlier and get out to do morning chores on time. I’ve been sneaking out just before going to the paying job to feed the ponies but I need to start feeding the big herd both morning and night.

I haven’t really had much time to do anything with the horses. The horses decided to play “hairdresser” and “unicorn” and styled their manes and tails with cockleburs. It’s bugging me seeing them in such a state but I haven’t had any time to take care of the mess. Hopefully this weekend I can sneak out and to a bit of de-cockleburring. I have come to the conclusion that I’m roaching the ponies. They have such a mess that it’s going to be impossible to get the burs all out. Their manes grow back quickly so it won’t be such a disappointment to have to roach them. I’ve had to do it in the past too. It pains me to cut their manes but it’ll be less stress and less of an ordeal if I just roach them and they look silly for a month.  I lost my showsheen. It’s around here somewhere but I just can’t seem to find it. Hopefully I can find it and go to work on cleaning everyone up this weekend. At least that’s my goal.

Now that we have another successful fundraiser under our belts, I’m anxious to start planning the next one. I’m torn between two different options so we’ll see which one I end up going with. It’ll be a lot of work but so worth it. Everyone’s generosity humbles me.

I didn’t get home last night until 10pm to do chores. Unfortunately, we still don’t have a yard light so I had to do chores by the light of a flashlight. Not exactly an easy task. I may go and buy one of those flashlights I can attach to a hat. Hopefully I can make some phone calls and get it fixed by early next week.

I know I mentioned it in an earlier post, but there is an auction coming up next weekend. I’m debating on going. It is silly for me to go because I am turning away horses and I know if I go, I’ll want to help. Or I’ll see one that has to be helped. But I haven’t gone in close to two years and I’m uneducated in the prices of loose horses. So we’ll see if I can handle sitting on my handles idly watching good horses go to slaughter or if I bale and stay home to get things down around the Sanctuary. If someone wants to go with, then I’ll have no choice but to go and not feel guilty!

Wednesday Ramblings

I think it’s winter. We had snow yesterday morning and again this morning. I was worried about Rabbit getting chilled so I threw a canvas sheet on her. Big mistake. She’d trashed the last one I’d put on her last year but I thought things would be different this year. Nope. She trashed another one. Hopefully I can repair it but I have to walk the pasture to find the missing parts. She did an amazing job of tearing it all to pieces. I’m a little mad because that was the one and only waterproof sheet that was fully intact and had no rips or tears. Can’t have anything nice when it comes to horses!

It’s been fairly quiet the last couple of days (knock on wood). Last night I was able to get out to do chores before dark. The yard light is officially gone so now I am doing chores in the dark. The night before last I was out after dark. One little flashlight does not give off enough light when you’re in the dark and the moon is hidden behind clouds. Hopefully we can call someone by the end of the week and get it fixed before too long. I don’t like being outside in the dark during the fall when all the wild critters are out. At least I let the dogs out to run around when I am doing chores and they tend to scare away any critters that may be wandering around. Farley is a big lug and although he wouldn’t hurt a fly, most critters don’t want to tangle with him.

I’ve been wrapped up with the paying job the majority of this week and it looks like the rest of the week will be the same so not much is going to happen at the Sanctuary. I’m already starting to brainstorm ideas for the next fundraiser. I have two different ones in mind so now the hard part will be deciding which one to go forward with (or throw caution to the wind and do both)! I don’t want to burn anyone out on all these fundraisers either (or myself for that matter)!  But I do have a few ideas I want to try out. So far the two fundraisers we’ve done have been a complete success. We will definitely do another playday next year and we will definitely do an Easter Basket Silent Auction (and have activities for the kids!) for Easter. I had a great time during both events so hopefully others will too!

I’m not sure when we’ll do the next fundraiser but keep your eyes peeled because we will definitely have one. I was already looking at the calendar for 2014 to decide when we’ll do the Easter Basket Silent Auction (and other activities). Easter is in April so we’ll plan on having the event sometime before Easter. So mark your calendars now for a great event!

My mind has pretty well turned to mush after the playday fundraiser on Saturday. Hopefully I’ll be able to get into the swing of things a little better after this week. I have to turn my mind off and not think about the upcoming winter. I’m a little worried that we don’t have enough hay. I guess if we do run out, hopefully we’ll be able to find a few bales at a reasonable price. I’d feel more comfortable if I had about 10 more big bales in the shed but beggars can’t be choosers. Of course, if I had 10 more bales in the shed, I wouldn’t be turning away horses that deserve a retirement home.

There is an auction coming up next weekend but I’m not sure I have the stomach to go. I haven’t been to an auction in about two years. I have no idea what prices are like for the loose horses. We’ll see if I go. If someone else says they’ll go, then I’ll definitely go. I’ll have to sit on my hands of course but it would be good for me to educate myself on the current prices of loose horses. I hate auctions this time of year though so we’ll see how it goes.

"S" World

I heard the cursed “S” word this morning. SNOW. We have the potential for some light snow tonight. I guess winter really is just around the corner. I shouldn’t complain. It is the end of October and we are just now starting to get frost on the ground. But I have to complain about snow. I think it’s mandatory in this region.

I’ll have to take a closer look at the forecast as evening rolls around. I thought I heard that we’ll start out with cold rain and then switch to snow. If it starts with rain, I may have to consider stalling or blanketing some of the horses. I was hoping to get all the blankets patched up before using them but if it rains, I don’t want anyone to get a chill. I was able to waterproof a majority of the blankets last week and had them laying out on the lawn until last night. I figured if we were to get rain or snow that I better get them up. Now they are piled in the utility room patiently waiting for me to patch up all the tears and wholes. It’s a bit daunting but it’ll be nice to have the blankets fixed and not have to worry about them. Why or why did I not think about this task earlier in the year?!?!

Last night I went out to do chores early. It’s probably a good thing. I think the fox has taken up residence in the hayshed. Yesterday I had the dogs out and Gypsy and Farley pushed the fox out of the shed and Gypsy managed to tumble the fox head over tea kettle. Had I not seen it with my own eyes I would have said people were lying. I am afraid that there might be something wrong with the fox. He seemed awfully dazed and confused. Gypsy is not fast so for her to knock over a fox makes me think that there’s something very wrong with the fox. It’s the same one that rushed past my leg earlier this month. Fox should not be tame.

Luckily the last few nights have been nice with the full moon shining. The real problem is that the yard light finally died. The last couple of nights the light wouldn’t come on while I was out doing chores but would be on in the morning. Last night and this morning, that darn yard light wouldn’t come on at all. So now we have to look at replacing the light bulb….again. I thought those big light bulbs were supposed to last a few years but I guess not. I learn something new every day. I’m not exactly sure when we’ll get it fixed but hopefully soon. The night before last, Gypsy attacked a raccoon that has been living in the grain bin. I ran back to the house to get Mike (and the gun), but the raccoon was already gone by the time Mike got there. That’s one of the downfalls of being out when there’s only one of us outside. I am so used to both of us being outside that it’s hard to catch these darn critters when I have to run back to the house.

Maybe the snow will detour the critters from coming out. I guess we’ll have to wait and see until then. Will be scrambling tonight to get a few last minute projects done before the snow flies.

Playday Success and Thank You

The playday was a success! And it’ll definitely be a yearly event (just earlier in the year)!! We had a great time and I learned a few things about what works and doesn’t work. We’ll probably skip a silent auction (although that went over pretty well) and just do a concession stand (closer to the arena)! I’m learning!!

I want to thank Larry and Freida Fossum and the Cowboy Way Church for letting us use their arena. I know it’s a lot of work to get everything set up to do a playday and they did a fantastic job working the arena up as best they could even though we had rain in the morning. I know everyone enjoyed the facilities. I want to thank Stacy Albers for helping get everything set up with the playday and figuring out what games to play. She pretty well took over and got all the games set up each time. I want to thank the Parker Saddle Club for letting us use their timer/eye (and Tanya for running the timer).  I want to thank all those that donated to the silent auction, bake sale, and concession stand and for those that donated their time to get everything set up. I couldn’t have done it without you. And I want to thank everyone who participated in the playday and bought items on the bake sale and silent auction. The rough count shows that we brought in about $600.00. I was ecstatic when Mike said how much. That will help with the hay bill for sure!

Thank you everyone for visiting with the Sanctuary horses (and for not poking fun of me or the horses for the amount of cockleburs that are in their manes and tails). I promise, it’s high on my priority list to get all those burs out. It’s a daunting task at times when I know they’ll get more in their manes and tails the next time they go out to pasture or roll. Maybe after it dries up a bit we can tackle the cocklebur bushes and get them disked under (at least in the drylot). It does bother me so thanks for not mentioning it or at least being sympathetic when seeing all the burs! We’ve been fighting those darn cockleburs for years now and it seems it’s a losing battle.

Everyone’s donations and participation humbles me. I struggle to ask for help; we try to be self-sufficient so asking for help is very difficult. But everyone’s willingness to help my cause is very awe-inspiring.  I am overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity and am so grateful that I am left speechless.

At the end of the day on Saturday, I was exhausted. It was a happy exhausted. All the hard work of getting everything figured out and set up paid off while I watched people play in the mud with their horses. It amazes and humbles me that people were willing to come out to support us. I couldn’t ask for a better support group. I loved watching everyone participate in the games and loved watching everyone’s expressions during the events.

On a side note, I was able to take pictures after the camera landed in the mud but we do have to get a new camera. It no longer wants to work. The poor thing has been beaten too much over the last few horse activities and landing in the mud puddle was the final straw. I did get some good pictures and will post them to the blog when I get a chance.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for your support and generosity. I am eternally grateful.

Playday Today!

The rain is gone and the sun is shining. Should be a good day for a playday! Hope to see everyone there!

Final Prep for Fundraiser

We are in the final stages of preparation for the upcoming playday. I guess I’ve been more focused on the silent auction and bake sale, which is really the minor part of the playday. But I want everything to be a success.

I had a bit of a panic attack yesterday so I worked like crazy last night after finally getting home. I baked until midnight so that my nightmare of being unprepared won’t happen. We have a lot to round up tonight but I think everything is in good order.

We will be bringing some of the Sanctuary horses to the playday for a meet and greet. So even if you don’t have a horse to ride, you can still come out and get your horse fix by hanging out with the Sanctuary horses and watching people ride.

Hopefully the weather will hold. I did pick up hot chocolate and apple cider so there will be warm beverages to enjoy while people wait for their turn even if it’s chilly out. The weather keeps changing (typical for South Dakota). As of the latest report, we are at a 10% chance of isolated showers before 7am on Saturday with a temp of 51. At one point I thought I saw a forecast of potential snow (but not anymore)!  The snow can hold off for a little bit longer! I am NOT ready for winter.

Last night when I was getting home from running errands for the fundraiser, we got home after dark (again typical of South Dakota in the fall/winter). For some reason the yard light wasn’t on. At first I was a little worried but then realized it’s a full moon. I was able to see just as well without the yard light on because the moon was out. This morning was the same way. We had a beautiful harvest moon this morning. It makes getting up early a little bearable.  Hopefully whatever was wrong with the yard light won’t happen again tonight. This morning it was on (go figure!) We’ve had a few super dark nights and I do rely on the yard light. Now that we are into the full swing of harvest, the wild critters are going to start coming out. I’d rather not meet face to face with one of them.

Speaking of meeting face to face with wild critters, I did have an encounter with a fox. Last week some time, Mike saw a fox hanging out by the garage. We’d seen him a couple times that morning. I went out to do chores later in the morning. I was in the hay shed piling up hay when all of a sudden there was a flash of red right by my leg. The fox we’d seen early had been in the hay shed and came within about two inches of me. If he would have come any closer, he would have knocked into me! That’s the closest I’ve ever been to a fox (and I’d like to keep it that way).

I have been wondering what winter is going to be like. I am worried that we don’t have enough hay. I know it’s already mid-October but we are feeding hay already and the temps are starting to drop. I shouldn’t be surprised that winter is just around the corner. I’ve been watching Canadian geese flying south already. I was hoping that they would hold off and we’d have a long fall. Somehow I don’t think that’ll happen.

The last really nice day (when it was in the 70s), I washed some of the winter blankets. Why I didn’t wash blankets when it was 90 degrees out instead of the 70s, I have no idea. But that’ll teach me! I was able to get the majority of the blankets washed before I ran out of time. There’s still a handful that I need to take care of. I was able to take an inventory of blankets while I was washing. It’s a nice feeling. I also went ahead and did some waterproofing on the less dirty blankets. I wouldn’t say that I “cleaned” the blankets but rather that I got them “less dirty”. So anyway, on Wed I waterproofed seven blankets and they are all out on the lawn. I didn’t get a chance to pick them up before the last frost so I have to pick them up tonight. I still need to fix all of the tears and holes before winter sets in. I learned my lesson the hard way that if you don’t fix the hole immediately, it only gets worse and the outcome is a destroyed blanket. With the price of blankets and the number of horses that need blankets every year, I will make sure that the holes get patched. Hopefully in the near future I can sit down at night and do some blanket patching before the real winter sets in. When it rained last week, I was tempted to throw blankets on but instead I put the horses in the barn. Now that I have clean and soon to be repaired blankets, I can spend an afternoon adjusting the different blankets to different horses so that during a major snowstorm, I wouldn’t be fighting the wind, cold, and wetness that usually happens when I’m out blanketing horses.

I don’t think I’ll post anything again today. After this afternoon I’ll be busy getting things ready for tomorrow’s fundraiser. We have a LOT of items up for the silent auction. Come on out and see what all we have! Bring your horse and enjoy a day of play before the weather turns! Before you know it, winter will be here and this may be one of your last opportunities to get a ride in before it gets bitterly cold! So come on out, tomorrow, Saturday October 19^th at 1pm to the Cowboy Way Church arena just south of Hartford, SD. We’ll have a great time! Hope to see you there.

Silent Auction Items

Wow, we have some amazing items donated for the silent auction. I am really excited for Saturday!!!

I asked earlier this week (or maybe it was last week) for donations. Boy howdy! Ask and you shall receive! We have some amazing silent auction items up for grabs. I won’t spoil all of the amazing donations but we do have a framed and signed print, some horse books, horse shoe art, and a number of other really amazing items. I’m feeling rather humbled right now for all the donations and time put into making this event go off without a hitch.

Let’s hope that the weather holds.  The arena is drying out and so is the parking so we should have a great day in store. We’ll also have baked goodies to snack on in between all the activities.  I hope to see everyone there. If I don’t post again, it’s because I’m scrambling to get the finishing touches on everything. I will admit, I’m not organized for this event but everyone else is organized and raring to go!

Winter on It's Way

Last week we had a gentleman stop out and ask us if we had room for one more. Unfortunately at this point, we don't. I'm still trying to figure out how to swing another mouth but don't see how we can. I guess that's why I'm pushing to do more fundraising even though we are a private sanctuary and not non-profit (yet). It's always a heartache for me to say no. Now is the time we should be stepping up and doing more but our finances say no more can come into the Sanctuary until we have a few things under control. Mike and I are the sole money makers for the Sanctuary and with the hospital bills from the past year piling up, we've had to put a stop on bringing anyone else in to retire. 

The upcoming playday may have to be rescheduled because of all the rain. I'm not going to complain about the rain! We haven't had any since July so I'm thankful and hopefully it'll make the pastures come back. We hopefully didn't over graze the big pasture. That's my biggest fear. 

Because of the rain, I had to put some of the "delicate flowers" into the barn. I think they were all ready to go in and get out of the cold and wind. I do need to make a few more temporary stalls so that everyone can get in out of the rain. Ok, so everyone can but I'd rather they be locked in instead of having the choice to stand in a runin shed. 

With all the rain, I had to put Mayhem in with the ponies. I think Tommy is loving the idea of pushing Mayhem around. He's been acting all macho since Mayhem was in there. But this morning when I went out to throw hay, Mayhem and Tommy were standing side by side. I'm not sure if Tommy was trying to intimidate Mayhem or what or if they are starting to be friends. It's hard to say with those darn ponies. I am happy that Mayhem is away from Rabbit. She was picking up some of Rabbit's bad habits. I don't like it that Rabbit is alone but maybe this way she'll soften a little. She's got such a tough outer shell. I think she was given a rough lot in life and never given the chance to be pampered. We'll see if I can crack that shell. I've been trying for three years now.

We have a lot of stuff to get done before the snow flies. I'm afraid that winter is just around the corner. I don't think that we'll have a very long fall. The weatherman is already talking about another cold snap. The farmers almanac said that we were going to have a bitterly cold winter. I think we are starting to see the beginnings of it already. Unfortunately, I'm not ready for it. And I'm afraid we might not have enough hay if we have to feed extra hay during all the bitter cold. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Mayhem

Fundraiser Silent Auction Items

We are just a few short days away from our fundraiser. The weather is going to play a huge part in whether we have it or not. We've had about two inches of rain in the last two days. The arena is muddy and now the weatherman is talking about more rain on the way for Thursday and Friday. So we may have to postpone the playday for another time. 

I guess if we do postpone, we'll start looking at doing other fundraising events this winter. I already have a couple of ideas up my sleeve. 

If we do have the playday, we will also have a silent auction. Mike has been busy making horseshoe items. I'm in love with the star. I think it's the color that he used to paint the item. It's a burgundy color instead of the normal black or dark gray. 

 Burgundy Star

 Black Cross

Bracelet Holder (Mike may be making a necklace holder at a later date!)

Donations?

Anyone have items they would like to donate to the silent auction for our upcoming playday fundraiser? We are also doing a bake sale so if anyone wants to bake, we'd sure appreciate the goodies!

Fundraiser Nightmare

I know the fundraiser is nearing. I had a dream about it this morning. Ok, it was more like a nightmare. It's like those dreams you have after getting out of school. You know the ones, where you realize that you never went to a class and you have to go and take a test. Yeah, it was a similar dream but more that I didn't have anything done and the fundraiser was going to start in about 2 hours and there was no way I was going to get anything done.

Hopefully this week I'll be able to finish up all the loose ends. I had hoped to get a calendar and tshirts made but that's not going to happen. I thought I would have a lot more time on my hands now that I'm furloughed but that didnt' happen. I somehow became even more scatter brained and haven't gotten anything accomplished. So I guess we'll just wing it and see what happens.

Fundraiser Update

Sorry for not posting lately. I've been on furlough and although I thought I'd have plenty of time to do stuff at home, I seem to struggle to find time to get in front of the computer at night. We are finally getting back into the swing of things to work on the upcoming fundraiser.

Here's the flyer so far with some of the info:

Borderlands Horse Sanctuary Playday Fundraiser

Saturday October 19^th, show begins at 1pm

At Cowboy Way Church – Hartford, SD

$10 to ride all events

Additional donations are accepted, and appreciated!

Classes will be PeeWee (7and under) Youth (8-13) and Open (14 and up)

·      

            Barrels (PeeWee, Youth, Open)

·        Poles  (PeeWee, Youth, Open)

·        Speed Poles  (PeeWee, Youth, Open)

·        4 in a line (All ages)

·        Circular Baton (All ages)

·        2 Man Rat Race (All ages)

·        2 Man Flag Race (All ages)

·        Keyhole  (All ages)

·        Boot Race (PeeWee and Youth only)

·        Pony Express Race (Open only)

Driving Directions

Cowboy Way Church is located 2 1/2 miles south of Hartford, SD then 2 miles west.  From the Wall Lake corner, it is 2 miles north and 2 miles east.

Cowboy Way Church:

46089 263rd St  

Hartford, SD 57033

http://www.cowboywaychurchsd.com/

Mike has been busy welding horse shoes so we'll have a few horse shoe art up for silent auction along with a few other items. We'll also have a goodie stand/bake sale area so that people can snack in between their runs. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll have fantastic weather to help with the fundraiser. I'm afraid there's not enough time now to make t-shirts and calendars. I guess maybe it'll be something for another fundraiser.

So, please spread the word about the fundraiser. You don't have to have a horse to come and enjoy the festivities. I sure hope to see everyone there!

Blizzard

Our hearts go out to those affected by last week's blizzard in the western part of South Dakota. I can't imagine the loss that the farmers and ranchers are experiencing at this moment. It's hard to believe that there would be such a storm the first part of October. Just two months ago we were out in the Hills for our yearly family vacation. I can't even imagine the amount of snow out there now.

Our thoughts and prayers are going out to all those affected by this terrible storm.