Water Woes

Winter is definitely right around the corner.


Two weeks ago, we were able to secure a new automatic waterer through two very GENEROUS donations. Now we need to get the waterer installed before the temps drop even more. There's hope that we can get the waterer installed this afternoon. It's going to be a big change but I'll be happy to not have to constantly check to make sure Maverick didn't pop the bungee cords off the waterer and mess with the top of the tank to break yet another part. I don't want a skating rink in our drylot again this winter.


So please keep your fingers crossed that all will go well to get it installed. We've been dealing with 40mph wind lately and it's getting old. I'm hoping we dont' have wind today. It blows right up the driveway and almost hits the waterer. We have it protected with a sheet of plywood to help block out the wind. I'll do whatever it takes to keep our electric bills low in the winter but automatic waterer and the tank heaters always make the bills skyrocket during the cold months.


I'll try to do a quick video of we can get working on it this afternoon. Mike had a mandatory meeting this morning for his paying job, so no luck in getting started early. We pretty much have no choice BUT to get it installed today. We are running out of time before serious snow falls. We've had a few flurries but I'm hoping it'll hold off long enough to get the waterer installed, the plowtruck repaired, a couple more blankets waterproofed, and the last load of hay home (although that hay is safe at my cousin's).


So lots to do still. I need to plan better.

Painting

In case you wanted to see how I had to pain the barn.


So the first picture is of what I had started way back during Labor Day weekend. I'd finished the bottom because that's what I could reach without a ladder.

And this is what I had to deal with. On the south end, it was a lot more stable. On the north end (where the lean to is, is where it got a little dicey and I had to put a 4x4 under the scaffold to level it out. Yup, not OSHA certified at all!

Life is Never Dull

So the last week has been pretty chaotic. Actually, the last month has been chaotic but let me recap this past week. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.


So the Thursday before last, I had a dentist appointment and right after, we met up with a very generous donor, Jennifer G, who through Thrivent Financial offered to help pay for a portion of a brand new Ritchie automatic waterer. What's even more fantastic about this automatic waterer, we had received a grant donation through an anonymous donor (thank you to whoever you are!!!) through Fidelity Charity and between the two, the Ritchie automatic waterer was COMPLETELY paid for by these two generous donations. Words cannot express my gratitude for your generosity. I will sleep easy knowing that we wont' have any water problems and that I won't walk out one morning (or evening) to see an overflowing waterer with parts scattered all over the drylot. So thank you!! I'll post more on this soon.


Friday night was the typical crazy Friday night relaxing and snuggling with kiddos.


Saturday I went on a trail ride. I'm in charge of the Minnehaha County Saddle Club so I had to go even though the weather was questionable. But I went and rode for a couple of hours. The winds were bad but the trails are all in a hollow so it was great riding. I haven't been able to do much riding lately and I love trail rides.


Sunday I had a get together with some moms to do freezer meals. It's nice to have some meals stashed in the freezer for emergencies! It's all not horse related but in juggling work, kids, horses, and other extra activities, it's nice to know there's a meal waiting for me (even if it's in the freezer).


Monday I had forgotten to schedule my daughter's 2 year appointment so we headed over to get her looked at. All is well as always! We all did flu shots and I was convinced I' be sick on Tuesday because that's whats happened in the past. Luckily I was wrong. But we all crashed early.  To the point where I slept on the hard wood floor the entire night... and didn't care.


Tuesday I had a very good friend come out after work and do some body work called Craniosacral on Bo. It was fun to watch the difference in Bo and how he relaxed. This was all before we knew what was truly going on with him. But I wanted to see if we could do some holistic and natural  means of treating his ulcers. Mike had picked up some Ramona Feed and Bo devoured that like I devour chocolate. He's now completely on Ramona Feed (I'll talk more about that too). While we were with Bo, Mike was putting on the final pieces of Ondura sheet on the barn. There's still more work to be done on the barn but it'll have to wait until spring when it warms up. Ondura cant' bend in colder temps. But with a few more nails at the bottom of the sheets, we are done for the winter. And the barn will stay dry and there should  be no leaks for the next 30 years (fingers crossed). Unfortunately, while Mike was cutting the sheets to size (this is why we didn't get it finished earlier), he sliced his leg open. He said it was a good thing I wasn't there because I would have made him go to the ER (his words!) We are already paying for one ER visit this summer and he didn't want another one so he superglued the cut shut. He's a manly man some days . Luckily he did go in on Thursday to have the doctor look at it and to make sure that everything is healing correctly and not getting infected. So, just remember, when you are cutting stuff, make sure that there's something between you and the blade! And people wonder why I'm so stressed all the time!


Wednesday I took the day off because it was supposed to be the last nice day. I sent the kids off to school and daycare and got to work scraping the barn. I had no hope of getting it all done but I spent 1.5 hours scraping the entire top half of the barn and was ready for primer. Keep in mind I didn't go after the trim or some of the other stuff. I got to work on priming the barn but knew I'd run into trouble. We hadn't bought enough primer so I called Mike up and he met me half way so I wouldn't have to go into the store (and get cleaned up). I got right back to work and had the barn primed (along with what was scraped on my tack room and the new eave of the garage (just one side)) by 12:30!! I was hoofing it to get everything done! I hadn't thought I'd get that far. Of course I wasn't exactly OSHA certified in my methods. Scaffold, resting on a 4x4 with a 6 foot ladder on top. But that's the only way for me to have gotten it done. A little ladder would have forced me to go much slower and I wouldn't have gotten it done. By 1:30 the paint was dry enough and I went out and put a coat of paint on the barn (along with the tack room and eave of the garage). The tack room still needs A LOT more work, it looks rather silly only half painted on one wall but I'll take it. So the barn is officially painted. The top half has primer and paint, and the bottom half has primer and two coats of paint. So we'll hopefully last a while. It doesn't look red neck and it makes the place look less dumpy. Granted, it's only  ONE wall of the barn and not all four sides. But at this point, beggars can't be choosers. But I'm happy to see the progress.


Thursday was Bo's vet appointment. I'll blog about that later. The news really was a blow to me. But after the appointment , I kept it together long enough to swing by and pick up the blankets that had been repaired and headed home. After unloading Bo and crying another river, I went to work putting water proofing on the blankets as they were talking snow on Friday. I got all but one blanket done before I ran out of time. I needed to get to the paying job as they are keeping me hopping too.


I was sorta numb on Thursday so I'm sorry for not posting more. It was all I could do even write those two frightful words, heart failure. But I'm coming to terms with it even though it's taken me this long to be able to write those words again. Only two other words scare me more, and those are meningococcal meningitis. That's what my son battled at 10 months old and survived with no lasting effects (he's one of the strongest people I know).


On Friday, I was still numb from the news but had to get everything in order to help out with our daycare's trunk or treat. We did the cowboy/cowgirl theme. But I had to rush around at 5am finding saddles and tack and whatnot (all in the dark, cold, and wind). Of course the tack was all of what I had lying around the house! So after the trunk or treat I was pretty well played out and hung out with the kids.


Saturday was not a pleasant day. Luckily I had the good sense to blanket Bo and Rain the night before so I knew they'd be snug. Saturday afternoon we took the kids to the Big Sioux Recreation Area Halloween Walk. It was ok but Leila decided that she needed a different costume. One that involved real blood. She fell and bonked her head on the road and as she put it "I ate rocks". She gashed herself and wouldn't you know, the EMTs and an ambulance appeared within 5 minutes. Yup, parent fail. She's no worse for wear other than a scraped up nose. And just as an aside, the ambulance and EMT were there for the walk itself, not because she'd fallen.


So you can see by Sunday, I was just done. We did run up to Madison to drop off mom and dad's camper. Mike winterized it for them and got it parked but Sunday was probably the first "lazy" day that we've had in months. I did have to scramble when we got home to get some chores done. We had to put hay in Saturday after all the commotion and the horses apparently pulled the nets off two of the bales. These are the small bales so the nets don't stay on well. We still have hay to unload off the trailer. We should have done it the Friday before last but I think both Mike and I were done in.


This week isn't going to be any quieter. Today is probably the quietest day and we'll be dealing with wind, which we've been dealing with all of last week. We're not talking a 20 mph wind, we're talking Wind Advisories and 40 mph wind with gusts even stronger. It wears on a body.


This week looks like more bad weather rolling in so there's a close eye on the horses, Mike suggested taking Tuesday off to put the new automatic waterer in before it really gets cold and we have problems (there's no heater on the waterer thanks to Maverick), and then there's the kids's Halloween activities. So another not so quiet week ahead of us to prep for winter.


So if I don't post much, it's not that we aren't here, it's that we are too busy. We still need to get a bunch of stuff wrapped up before any accumulating snow appears. Hopefully this week I'll have time to actually post but the paying job has me hopping. I'm behind in everything these days.

Bo's Diagnosis

I don’t know where to start. I don’t know how to speak the words to soften the harsh words. My mind can’t seem to come up with a better way to say the words I hadn’t prepared to hear.

 

Heart Failure

 

That was Bo’s prognosis from the vet yesterday. I cannot deny the facts. I cannot question the vet’s diagnosis. I heard it for myself. I felt it for myself.

 

Bo has heart failure.

Possibilities

Mike put it best when he said "Bo is in a body of a 30 year old even though he's 16."


We had a mare that we lost at the age of 16 because she had teeth of a 30+ year old. I've never lost one at that young of an age until we said goodbye to Blondie (registered name Sun Gold Doll).


For the past three nights, Bo has been off his feed. It's ulcers. Very obvious ulcers. Although he has a long list of other ailments going on right now as well. I've been feeding him a mixture of soaked beet pulp shreds, senior, and purina strategy, along with dumor weight booster. I had hoped the beet pulp would keep the ulcers at bay but help pack on the weight. He'd been on this proportion for the past month or more but with no signs of improvement. In fact, the ulcers flared but what am I supposed to do? Without additional supplements, like grain, he'll lose weigh.


We don't have high quality, dairy quality hay this year so I'm not sure what's going to happen (to him or any of the others). He HAS to have a supplement to keep what little weight he has on him. I thought last night I would try just soaked beet pulp and a few alfalfa pellets. It was a no go. He ate half and showed signs of discomfort. So any supplement is going to cause him problems.


We are picking up some Ramona feed to see if that helps but if beet pulp doesn't help, this feed wont' either. But I can add it to Junior's feed and I know he'll perk up.


A very good friend has offered to do a holistic sort of exam on him so I'm going to take her up on that offer. If we can get his pain under control without having to constantly medicate him, my life would be much simpler.


The vet said we'd most likely have to put him on omperizal. It's somewhere between $8-10 a tube. A tube contains two treatments for resolving the issue and it would take about 10 days of daily treatment. Then he'd be on daily maintenance treatment. A tube contains 4 daily maintenance treatments. He's 16. To keep him comfortable for a year, I'll be spending $750 for one year (if I did my math right). That's one little flatbed pull of hay. And what's the say the price wont' go up during the next 10 years?


We don't have a lot of supporters. We have very few followers but are ever grateful for everyone that reads the blog, Facebook posts, twitter posts, and watches the Facebook videos. But there's no way I can raise $750 for Bo's yearly treatment for the next 10 years. We couldn't raise the $400 for Mayhem's surgery and that'll come out of my personal pocket when it becomes an emergency.


Do I sacrifice and try to make a go of it with the treatments?


If we do, we subsequently shut the doors to ANY deserving senior that needs a place to call home until Bo crosses the rainbow bridge. There's so many that need a place to call home. In the 11 years we've been providing sanctuary, we've said goodbye to 10+ horses. We'd therefore be closing our doors to any opportunity to provide a safe place for 10+ horses because we can't responsibly bring in anyone else if Bo is going to cost the same amount as what we pay in hay.


Is it ethical to look at the terrible alternative if euthanasia? He's YOUNG! 16 is NOT old. It doesn't seem to be right to even consider the option. There's a possible treatment plan for him but money and time gets in the way of it.


I'm sure I'll have someone suggest or offer to take him but I can't send him to another rescue because I have to send Zeke with. I'm not going to separate best friends. But I promised Zeke he'd stay with me forever. He looks like a riding horse, so someone would take him and ride the snot out of him. They'd put all kinds of people on him and he DESERVES a retirement. Just because he's 25, it doesn't mean he looks that way and I can't ensure that he would get used hard. So I can't sacrifice one horse for another.


I'm sure the vet will provide some answers but I know what they are. Ulcer treatment and then maintenance for the rest of his life. He doesn't take treatments well. How long will he take these treatments without getting really, really bad. I can't risk getting hurt either. It was all I could do to get the banamine in him and he wasn't feeling good. What happens when he's full of vim and vinegar?


So what do I do?

Showcasing a Roll

Rain wanted to showcase a good roll and how to get up afterwards

Meet Maverick

I forgot to post last week so I suppose it's better late than never.

Meet Maverick

The following image is one I've used often and it's of Maverick.

Maverick came to use in October 2009 on a rainy night. I'd just come home from a birthday party and it was raining and getting late. I noticed that two horses were in our pasture that didn't belong there. They were Brego and Maverick. They'd been in with Queen, who'd they'd been with in their previous home.


I had agreed to take Maverick and Brego but needed a bit of time to get things ready. The owner must have thought he'd waited long enough and dropped them off. Brego was thin and Maverick was a little underweight. As a two year old, he'd been sent to a trainer but I knew the methods in which he'd been trained and wanted a different trainer.

I was originally scared of him. I'm prone to swing my legs over corral panels and expecting horses to get out of the way. Maverick didn't and threw a hoof at me when I got on the ground. He had the better of me so in the spring, I sent him to a trainer (on my dime, not the Sanctuary's). He came back a bombproof horse. To the point where he was taught not to lope while under saddle. I wish I could get him to lope, but that's not in the cards right now and he'll make a fantastic riding horse for the little kids.

Maverick is a total ham. He's always inquisitive and trying to figure things out. He's downright bored at times and finds things to entertain himself. That includes untying notes, pulling off fly masks, ripping blankets, pulling the siding off the barn, and destroying automatic waterers. I have a jolly ball for him but that doesn't seem to entertain him enough.

He's best friends with Jim. It's an odd combination. A 12 year old is best friends with a 30 year old and Jim is the stoic one while Maverick is the clown, always trying to see what's going on. He's a total extrovert.

Maverick has really proven himself. I though the was a diamond in the rough, but in truth, he's simply a sorrel diamond. If I rode more, he'd be less inquisitive (I hope) and he'd probably feel more fulfilled but there's not enough time in the day. This is not an invite to offer to ride him. I'm simply saying that he needs more of a job than he has, which is nothing. But we'll get there. I've had people want to buy him or ask for a good riding horse and he'd fit the bill But I made a promise, and I stick by my promise. And that's to keep him at the Sanctuary until his last breath.

So for now,  I'll continue to deal with Maverick's antics and hope that this Christmas he doesn't destroy the automatic waterer. He's an easy keeper and only needs hay Of course he could go for some additional toys to keep him occupied. I and his herd mates would greatly appreciate the reprieve from his antics.

Good Monday Morning

I have so much to share and yet so little time to share all the good news before I peter out on the day.


So to start your Monday morning off right, I'm posting pics from a couple of nights. Now is the time to get beautiful pictures in the evening. These are all taken with my phone and absolutely no altering.


Winter will be here on Friday and I'm in a bit of a panic but I'll leave that for another post. For now, lets just enjoy some beautiful pictures.

Dude and Rain

Chaos

King



Chaos, Brego (I think), Maverick

King and Dude

Rain

King

Chaos

Evening grazing

Lightening (with Zeke photo bombing and Bo's butt)

$5 Friday

It's $5 Friday! Did you know $5 buys a bale of hay and feeds a horse for a day? So skip the coffee and help keep a senior horse fat and happy this winter by donating $5. It's amazing how fast $5 adds up.

We are fundraising for our 2017-2018 Winter Hay Fund. The hay is here and now we have to come up with the money. We had our annual playday (and new this year was the obstacle course). Proceeds from the playday fundraiser went to the 2017-2018 Winter Hay Fund.  We met our generous Match Game (Modern Woodmen graciously gave us the match game). Without the match game, and having to pay for the arena (which was $250), we made $300 and had a blast doing it. Add the match game of $500 and we are up to $800 just from the playday. Our goal is to reach $3500. We have had additional money donated and I'll add that to the tally as well. We are slowly reaching our goal and very thankful for it.

But we could still use your help. $5 might not seem like a lot but to us, it's the world. Because $5 feeds a horse for a day and $5 quickly adds up to buy more hay.

Our small Sanctuary is supported by many donors who cannot share a lot but what they share is huge and means a great deal to me.

Every donation matters, and we are grateful you have chosen to help us with our mission, "Giving each horse a dignified retirement".

Did you know, $5 buys one bale of hay and feeds a horse for a day? We have 15 horses in our Sanctuary enjoying retirement. It might not sound like a lot, but each horse gets individual care based on their needs. We are feeding hay now that October has arrived and the pastures are done. We will continue to feed hay until the end of May. Would you like to feed one of our Sanctuary horses for a day?

You can donate to www.paypal.me/Borderlands or send checks to:

Borderlands Horse Sanctuary

PO Box 35

Humboldt, SD 57035

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday to October of 2010 when we had Thor, a Belgian that had worked hard all his life and came to the Sanctuary to enjoy his final years. He wasnt' with us for very long but he enjoyed every minute of his retirement.

He came to us blind in one eye and later lost sight out of his other eye. After a week of adjusting, he was perfectly fine. I sure do miss this guy. He was a stoic figure at the Sanctuary.

We would love to open our doors to another senior that deserves a golden retirement home. Won't you sponsor a senior horse in his/her final years?

Lets Talk Blankets

I don't and wont' debate the need or desire to blanket horses. We do blanket at the Sanctuary but it is based on need. Some of our residents never need anything more than a full belly and a wind break, while others need a variety of blankets to keep the chill off.


It is very contingent on each horse and it's  not even based on age. Rain is not even 20 and he's needed a blanket for the past few years. Jim, who's 30 doesn't need a blanket. So it's all in perspective who basic needs.


Each year I think I'm going to be ahead of the game and get blankets taken care of. I DID get most of the blankets washed this past July but I needed them repaired and waterproofed. I sent four off (the most coveted blankets) to be repaired by a volunteer. I've not gotten back to washing any of the others.


When I wash blankets, I don't throw them in the wash machine because ours can't handle it and I wont' take them to a Laundromat because I don't want to ruin someone else's clothes. So instead I wash them by hand. Either way of washing, I think the waterproofing doesn't last so I try to waterproof every year.


I used to think we had to have fancy waterproofing until Mike suggested using regular deck waterproofing and that's what we've been using ever since. One gallon of waterproofing covers about 6 blankets. We use whatever is the cheapest and lately it's been Thompson's Waterproofing.


I thought we bought a gallon this summer but I couldn't find it so I used up the left over from last year and got 1.5 blankets done. I bought another gallon and today slapped some waterproofing on one blanket during my lunch break.


Now to track down the coveted blankets and get them waterproofed while the weather is still nice. It's hard to think that we need blankets when it's gorgeous out but in short order the weather will turn and I want to make sure that the herd is well protected when the rains and snows start to fall and the temps plummet.


Anyone want to donate blankets or waterproofing? Or better yet, anyone want to donate their time to waterproof or repair blankets? I could use all the help I can get!

My help while waterproofing

My help while waterproofing

My help while waterproofing

Waterproofing done and now waiting to dry

Wishlist Wednesday - Blankets Needed

Wishlist Wednesday: It may be hard to imagine needing blankets on a gorgeous day like today, but winter will be here in a little while and we need to make sure our seniors are snug in their blankets.

We have a few blankets for the hard keepers but they are much loved, and much repaired. We'd love to have a few extra blankets handy for those that think they need a bigger wardrobe.

We need just about every size blanket but turnout blankets are the most important.

Jim is probably the most in need of a blanket and he's a size 74. But most everyone is a 78 (ish). But any blanket, any size, any color, and almost any condition is greatly needed and appreciated.

This is our beloved Sam who left us a few years ago. He enjoyed his draft blanket during his last few years with us. We want to make sure that we spoil our seniors in their last years and that means a warm blanket during the cold winter nights of South Dakota.

Quiet Time

We are having gorgeous weather this week. I'd love to take advantage of it but other responsibilities take precedence. We are going to try and work on the barn tonight. I doubt we'll get it totally done but a little is better than nothing. If the snow flies tomorrow, we'd be ok with the barn. Not everything else, just the barn.


I was hoping to work on the barn because the weather is supposed to be nice but again, that's going to fall through. I am going to have to give up the idea that I can get any more of the barn painted.


I took a bunch of pictures last night but I need to download them and rotate them. My phone no longer posts then normal. Instead it'll take more time but we'll see if I have time. I still need to do some wrap up stuff with the playday fundraiser but I don't see that in the cards for tonight. I've been dragging ever since the fundraiser. Hopefully I can get it back into gear.

Final Leg of the Roof

Mike didn't want me to post any pictures of him while he was up on the roof, but I had to! We have the last of the solid sheets on the roof. So in a pinch, if the snow were to fly today, we'd have enough of the roof covered that there would be no leaks.

We still have one row on each side of the roof to finish but those require measuring, cutting, and some awkward maneuvering to get them up on the barn. I'm glad it's Mike and not me up on that roof! It's nice to see that we are making progress. The rain we got on Saturday made me heartsick, not just for the playday but also because the roof was exposed with the hole from the vent. But it's now sealed and the leak that was caused because of the vent all those years ago is now gone! It looks nice. I'll be ecstatic when the roof is completely done and we can say that the project if FINISHED!

But for now, we still have a few good hours left to get it wrapped up. But once the roof is done, we still need to get the other barn painted. I'm trying to figure out how to squeeze in a day of scraping and priming this week while the weather is nice. I'm afraid we'll only have one or two more nice days and then we are into winter. So I want to take advantage of it while I can but not get so behind at the paying job. It's a bit of a juggle. So we'll see.

We also need to get the truck engine fixed but now that we are in the middle of harvest, we'll have to wait until November to work on it. Fingers crossed there's no snow until then. But we DO need to get the automatic waterer installed. I'll have to share more about that because it does deserve it's own post and lots of pictures.

And for anyone coming in to this project, the hay barn and the garage have all been paid for by Mike and myself. We've used our tax return so no money donated to the Sanctuary has gone into this project. Any  money donated to the Sanctuary goes directly to the horses and keeping them fat and happy. All the other stuff...fencing, building materials, all that stuff...that all comes directly out of our pockets. It's a bit bitter sweet but that's just how it has to be. We live on the acreage so we are the caretakers of the land and buildings. I wish we could do more but with the lack of funds and lack of time, there's only so much we can do in any given day. And now that the days are getting shorter, we are stuck with either working in the dark, or waiting for the weekends (and with little kids, you dont' always get a full weekend to work on a project). Had we had a full three day weekend, we could have tackled that hay barn and had it done. Instead we worked on it for a few hours here and there and it's taken us over a month to get it done. But that's just how it's going to have to be for the next few years while we have small kids.

So fingers crossed that we'll have an hour or two tomorrow night to work on the barn. I would love to have it wrapped up before the end of October arrives. So much still to do and not enough time to get it all done. I need another three months to get everything finished before the snow flies.

Annual Playday Success

The 4th annual playday and obstacle course are in the books! It was yet another successful year and I'm so very grateful to all those that came out to support the Sanctuary.

Because we are a Sanctuary there's not a lot of urgency and major calls for help. We focus on the day-to-day and making sure that the golden years are (if not the best), the most leisure for our senior horses. But with the generosity from everyone, we continue to move forward and are excited to continue our journey.

We could not run the Sanctuary without everyone's help. And the playday this weekend was a very good example of everyone's generosity to help out wherever they needed, be in running the gates, setting up obstacles, manning the concessions, and just providing a fun environment to hang out, talk horses, and enjoy everyone's company.

We will DEFINATELY have an obstacle course again next year. Although next year I think we'll have to make it more challenging! So if you have ideas on how to make the obstacle course more fun (or even the playday more fun), please let me know. I am always looking for ways to make this fundraiser more appealing to everyone.

I have much more to share but my introvertedness has gotten the better of me so I'll leave you with a few pictures and I'll return with much more in a little while.

Running the Obstacle Course

Enjoying Horses and Talking with Friends

Getting Ready to Run Barrels

Running the Obstacle Course (pulling a straw bale)

Awesome News Coming Soon

I have awesome news to share from yesterday but need to stay focused on the fundraiser tomorrow. I'll be sharing our awesome news very soon so please keep checking back. Until then, I'll share some pictures from the other night.

Brego

Sunset over the pasture

Zeke with the herd behind him

Chaos, Jim, and King

Bo and Zeke

Ivan

Dude (and I think that's Bo)

Jim and King

Old Wives Tale

For the longest time, I used to track fog patterns. When we had El Nino, it was pretty spot on with the old wives' tale (90 days from fog, you'd get "precip").  In our neck of the woods, that meant SNOW.


But El Nino passed and we had La Nina for a long time and the old wives' tale didn't stand true. So I sort of only half paid attention to it lately because the weatherman said we were in a La Nina instead.


Well, no matter what pattern we are in, I think we are back to the old wives' tale being true.


The weatherman has been predicting rain for the past week (much to my dismay). There was even talk of snowflakes (and I SURE HOPE they are wrong!) But I just happened to be looking at my calendar and I have fog written down for Monday. That meant 90 days from this past Monday, we had fog. It's not 100% accurate but with my note of fog and rain in the forecast, I think maybe I can track the snowstorms that plan on blowing in this winter. Fingers crossed that I can track it. Knowing that I have a week or two to plan for a snowstorm to get stuff down outside, is very hand!


But fingers crossed there's no rain this Saturday!

$5 Friday

It's $5 Friday! Did you know $5 buys a bale of hay and feeds a horse for a day? So skip the coffee and help keep a senior horse fat and happy this winter by donating $5. It's amazing how fast $5 adds up.

We are fundraising for our 2017-2018 Winter Hay Fund. The hay is here and now we have to come up with the money. We have our upcoming Playday and Obstacle Course TOMORROW Saturday October 14th where proceeds will go to the Winter Hay Fund. But if you can't make the fundraiser, or want to help out a little on the side, donate $5 to keep a senior horse happy.

Our small Sanctuary is supported by many donors who cannot share a lot but what they share is huge and means a great deal to me.

Every donation matters, and we are grateful you have chosen to help us with our mission, "Giving each horse a dignified retirement".

Did you know, $5 buys one bale of hay and feeds a horse for a day? We have 15 horses in our Sanctuary enjoying retirement. It might not sound like a lot, but each horse gets individual care based on their needs. We are feeding hay now that October has arrived and the pastures are done. We will continue to feed hay until the end of May. Would you like to feed one of our Sanctuary horses for a day?

You can donate to www.paypal.me/Borderlands or send checks to:

Borderlands Horse Sanctuary

PO Box 35

Humboldt, SD 57035

Freaking Out

So the fundraiser is in exactly 24 hours from now and I'm freaking out. For lots of reasons too.


I shouldn't be freaking out. It's not like I haven't held this type of fundraiser before but it's that I've thrown in a few extras, like the Obstacle Course. But I'm sure it'll all run smoothly no matter what. It's just my typical fashion to totally freak out because I'm a total Type A and want it to be a smashing success (not that it won't but I always have high expectations for everything).


So Wednesday night Mike called around to see if the Menards in Mitchell had our roofing nails. We have to have special Ondura roofing nails, nothing else works. No one in Sioux Falls had them but after a 20 minute phone conversation and being passed around to multiple departments, we scored the boxes of nails we needed. The only problem was, we didn't have time to get them Wednesday night. So we hopped in the car last night and drove the hour to Mitchell to get them. We could have had them shipped, but I wanted them in my grubby little hands so that we could work on the roof on Sunday, even if it's just to patch the hole. We're supposed to get rain Saturday but the hole will just have to sit open .


I'm planning on going down tonight to set up the obstacle course in the arena. I have friends heading down there to ride anyway, so I can mooch some help in getting stuff set up and seeing if what I have for an obstacle course will work or if it's silly. I'm a bit nervous for the obstacle course for some reason. I just want everyone to be satisfied with their experience. Sounds silly.


I had hoped to get tshirts made but I blew that one out of the water. When I realized my mistake, I sat and cried for a good solid five minutes. It was a total bonehead mistake on my part and money that could have really helped. But we'll see how it goes. It's not the first time I've had an idea that I've had to scrap because I either didn't have time, or I messed something up.


And this is exactly why I don't get on Pintrest. I'd have such high expectations and I'm a total Pintrest Fail Mom/Horse Owner so there's a no go. I'll keep my  Pintrest fails to myself instead of sharing and being embarrassed.


I may be posting a bit more on Facebook page to try and tempt more people into coming. I spent last night after getting back from Mitchell baking cookies. So cookies, brownies, and puppy chow are ready to go for tomorrow. If I don't crash tonight, I'll be baking up a storm. I'm sure to crash though. I feel a nasty head cold that will steal my voice coming on pretty quick.  And there's still lots to do even after the fundraiser tomorrow.


We still need to pick up the hay down in Harrisburg. We haven't had any time to get it in the last two months. Well, we did but it takes a bit of organizing and that was one battle I didn't want to fight with Mike so I let it go. But the guy wants it gone so we are going to have to make arrangements. Maybe we can get it all done Sunday but we'll see. Anyone want to haul a load of hay for us?


Lots to do and lots of freaking out to happen over the next 24 hours. I may be online more just to freak out and share in my freaking out.

Apocalypse

I can tell I'm stressed about the upcoming fundraiser. Apparently more so than I even know. I'm sure most of you have had those nightmares where you walk into a class to take the final test only to realize you hadn't attended any of the classes previously and didn't have a clue what the test was about.


I've been having dreams about the fundraiser and it's the same dreaded feeling. I have no idea why. I guess because I'm totally not prepared. Once again I'll be winging it. Which apparently is the norm for me. I even dreamt about an apocalypse the night before. How crazy is that? But I think because there's the arena rent to cover ($250), and the weather isn't going to be gorgeous (even though we DO have an indoor arena), I'm still worried. It's always the unknowns. It's not like we haven't had a fundraiser fail before but I worry nonetheless.


So I'm still scrambling. I spent last night shopping in preparation for the fundraiser. And we needed to pick up those blasted nails for the hay barn. And we discovered a terrible bit of news. The manufacturer discontinued the nails (at least in all the box stores)!!! The box stores are not restocking them with anything. So we are left with a HOLE in our roof and no nails. I think we can order them still because they are still available but only through the manufacturer. But that'll take another week to get here so we will have a HOLE in our roof until then!! Mike is going to go up tonight and put a sheet of plywood over the hole until we can get some nails but it totally ruined our night. I was in such high spirits and then that bit of news sort of spoiled the night. And then things continued to spiral down so now I'm a bit on the grumpy side. So hopefully I can pull myself out of this funk. We have lots going on and lots to be excited about. Just disappointed to know that we could be done with the roof (or at least have MOST of it up) by Sunday if we had nails. It's hard to see that you're so close to finishing a project only to come up against a wall. But that is the norm for us. The kicker is the box of nails are super spendy. Or at least it feels spendy. And there's no other alternatives, we looked.


So for the next few days I'm sure I'll continue to dream about the fundraiser, and hopefully it won't turn into even crazier dreams. I'm not sure my brain can handle it.

Wishlist Wednesday

Our Wishlist Wednesday item is for waterproofing. We've used Thompson's waterproofing in the past but anything will work. One gallon covers six blankets. I try to re-waterproof all of our blankets every year to  ensure that no one has a soggy blanket during the middle of winter (or in the spring when it's more rain than snow).


We want to make sure that the horses are happy and snug in their blankets.


This is Junior the late winter/early spring after we got him. He was (and still is) a very HARD KEEPER. It takes a lot of grain, good grass/alfalfa hay, and a cozy blanket to keep him snug.

This is Junior last winter/early spring after keeping him on his grain concoction that finally worked for him and keeping him snug in a blanket. I'm not going to debate the need for blankets but Junior needed it to keep the chill off. Of course the big dose of grain every night is probably what did the trick but every little bit helps.

So we want to make sure that all of our blankets are waterproof going into winter this year. The wet season will be upon us soon with cold rains this fall and cold rains this spring, which is when we really need to make sure the waterproofing works.


One gallon of waterproofing handles six blankets. I have six lined up ready to be waterproofed with a couple more that are in need a swell. You can find waterproofing just about anywhere. I picked up a gallon to get me started at Walmart for $10.