Wind Chills

With the temps not even reaching above zero, I knew I needed to put the horses in last night. Luckily I had the stalls ready so it didn't take me more than an hour to get everyone situated for the  night. The other night when I opened the haybarn and turned on the light, I heard a thud. So I'm guessing a raccoon is now living in the barn.

But I digress. I noticed when I brought Dude in that he's off in his backend again. He hasn't been off in more than a year but now he was a little gimpy. That or he tripped walking into the barn but I'm going to keep an eye on him to make sure it doesn't get worse. His condition will never get better and will only get worse so I want to make sure that he stays as comfortable as possible. I did some homeopathy/herbal stuff on him a few years back and it seemed to help but I lost my contact for getting access to herbs. So through the winter, I'm going to have to keep a close eye on him. I was wondering if anyone has ever used one of those magnetic sheets to help and if that would be of some help to Dude. I'm curious and if it wasn't a couple hundred dollars, I'd be willing to try. So I want to hear what others think of them first before I spend the money.

But again, I digress. I started debating on putting the horses in last night. It was cold but there was no wind. This morning when I stepped outside, I was glad I had. It was C.O.L.D.! The wind is fierce. Now I'm wishing I would have left the horses in longer. The wind is out of the east, which is supposed to bring warmer temps but so far the wind is better and cuts right through you. I think tonight inbetween wrapping presents and getting ready for Christmas Day, I need to do some sewing on some blankets. I need to make due with what we have for the time being and if the winter continues as it currently is, we are going to need all the blankets we have!

I am starting to think that I need to stall Dude more often. Or at least whenever I stall the hard keepers and "delicate flowers". I don't have enough stalls for everyone in the big herd so I leave the three easy keepers out (Chaos, Maverick, and King). They are all fat and healthy and can withstand more than the others. But when Dude is out, they (except Chaos) get pushed out of the leanto off the barn. But when Dude is in the barn, it seems that everyone is more relaxed and gets a chance to stand where they really want to. I always thought that King didn't like being inside. I now think that it's because of Dude. King's feet are always so tender that he can't move as fast and if he's in the way of Dude, he has to move quick which hurts his feet. He's got such flat feet but I can't shoe him in the winter. I need to find another way to keep him comfortable. But if Dude is in, those three can wander around at their own pace since they are all pretty well equal. Although there is a pecking order and believe it or not, I think King is in charge. When Dude is out, Chaos acts like he's second in command. He buddies up to Dude and gets all the good stuff. But when Dude is in and its' just the three, King is in charge and Chaos can't push him around. The dynamics of the herd always change depending on who is where. Its' rather fascinating.

I can't believe that today is Christmas Eve day. It's amazing how fast time flies. I know I've only posted a few times this month what with all the commotion going on. Hopefully life will slow down a little (hahaha). I've really put the Sanctuary on the backburner these past few months. I've been simply trying to get through each day rather than plan for the future. But I'm hoping after the holidays, that I can regroup and focus on some upcoming fundraisers and other ideas to promote the Sanctuary. The fundraisers we had this year were so successful that I'm motivated to do more this coming year. There is still a need for horse rescue and sanctuary and I want to be able to step up and offer a home to an old warrior this coming year. I don't want to have to say no to someone again!