Monday, May 18, 2015

Spoiled

We are in the middle of some weird weather. I guess the rest of the country is in the middle of some weird weather as well. We had rain all weekend which was very much needed and I won't complain about it one bit. I was concerned that if we didn't get rain soon, that the pastures wouldn't hold and the price of hay would sky rocket like it did a couple years back (having flashbacks of when I was pregnant with my first child and we were dealing with a drought and major heat indexes).

I'm not sure exactly how much rain we've gotten but we could use more. We're dealing with a little bit of mud right now but it's not too terrible, not like in years past.

The round bales we put in are finally done so I'm back to throwing hay. Boy was I spoiled not having to throw hay. We've had terrible winds since yesterday late morning. I forgot how much I hate throwing hay in the wind (those round bales really got me spoiled).

Now I'm hearing awful rumors that we are in a frost advisory starting tonight or tomorrow? I think we are supposed to get down to freezing. Not good! I'm going to have to top out the tanks and roll up hoses so nothing freezes and breaks. I've been known to break a few hoses because there's still water in the line when a cold snap comes through.

I FINALLY got most of the herd out on the lawn yesterday! Usually I try to get horses out on the lawn the first weekend in May but the grass wasn't growing and I couldn't seem to find the time. I didn't want to overgraze the lawn because I'll be putting the ponies on the lawn after the big herd and the mares go out to their respective pastures.

It was nice to get a little bit of help yesterday with putting in fence posts and stringing wire. My little boy is such a good helper! I decided that instead of putting the entire herd out and worrying about them running through the electric fence (which wasn't on), that I'd let out just a couple. Actually, my son was out and I didn't want to try and chase an entire herd around the countryside with a toddler in tow (speaking from experience). I also wasn't sure he wouldn't run in with the horses so I played it safe and only let tree out at a time.

I started out with Bo and Zeke because they kept getting pushed out of the remaining round bale. I also put Junior out with them. I wasn't sure how well that was going to go. Zeke had a death wish on Junior when I put him in with the big herd late winter. But they all seemed to be ok. I think Zeke was simply mad that Bo was with the mares and now his best friend was across a fence instead of with him. So there's hope I can maybe put Junior in with the big herd (if the pasture can handle it).

I left them out longer than I'd wanted thanks to a rain storm blowing through. Once I put them back, I pulled out Jim, Rain, and Dude. Dude was super naughty about demanding he be the next horse to go out to the lawn pasture. He's really lost his manners as of late and that makes me furious. Going to have to do some work with that brute. I wasn't sure how I'd be able to get them back in. I always put halters on when they are on the lawn in case they do break through the fence (safety precaution for me). But when I opened the door, they ran right in. They'd had to deal with a rain storm earlier that pummeled them and I think they were ready to get in out of the rain and back with the rest of the herd.

Then I pulled Chaos and King out for a little while. I didn't want either of them out for very long. I have to keep a close eye on King. But they were out longer than I'd wanted but I pulled them back into the drylot just before the next storm rolled through. Unfortunately, I didn't get Brego, Ivan, or Maverick out on the lawn.

I'm hoping tonight that I can maybe put some of the herd back out on the grass to get them adjusted. It's a lot of work because I halter each one (for two reasons. 1) so that I can catch the buggers and get them to go back in 2) in case they blow through a fence and we have to chase them from here to never never land). No it's not right but that's just how it has to be. Halters come off once they get into the drylot so no worries about them getting caught up on any feeders.

Once the big herd is out on pasture, I'll work on getting the mares out on pasture. Once they are adjusted to grass, it'll be the ponies' turn to go out on grass for a little while. It's a long, drawn out process but it seems to work (and then I don't have to worry about mowing).

But for now, I'm still throwing hay. Hopefully the grass and the remnants of the other ground bale will help offset the hay I have to throw. We will definitely be going with round bales next year. I got spoiled not having to go out before dawn and after dark to throw hay. Luckily it was light enough this morning for me to see the gigantic raccoon that scurried away. I hate coming face to face with varmints in the dark. I watched something the other day waddle through the knee high grass. I was hoping it was a cat. Nope, possum. I'd rather meet up with those critters in the daylight.

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