Upcoming Events

I'm not sure where the last few days have gone. I've wanted to post a few different topics but ran out of time and energy. By late afternoon I was done "adulting" and needed to ..... well I'm not sure what I needed other than not be responsible for much.


We've had beautiful weather the last couple of days and that makes life easier for everyone. Everything is starting to dry out very quickly. I'm excited yet nervous. With everything drying out, the farmers are going to be in the fields soon. But we still need to get everything lined up to haul manure. It's turning into a mountain instead of a hill. The problem is the weekends are filling up quickly. In May, we have one weekend were we could possibly do it and that's only if the farmer isnt' in the field already. I'm not sure if we can get everything lined up by then.


This weekend we are going to be very busy and I hope you all get a chance to stop out. Tomorrow we are going to the Meet the Breeds demo and meet and greet at the Sioux Empire Fair Grounds (by the Old McDonald Farm building). It'll be from 10-2pm and there's going to be all kinds of dogs. Of course we'll be the odd ball and only horse related sanctuary but hey, that's just what we do! The Sioux Empire Kennel Club is putting on the event. We've never been there before but it should be fun.


Sunday, we'll be at Reclamation Ranch in Mitchell for Helping with Horsepower's Fun Day and Tack Swap. That's from 12-6pm. I'm excited to go to both events but this one will be in an area that we haven't ventured before so we'll be meeting a lot of different people. Always excited to talk about our senior horses and what we have to offer.


I've also wanted to talk about Bo but that'll need to be for a different post. Yesterday was 2 months since his passing. AND yesterday was Help-A-Horse day. I'd wanted to post something about it but ...well... I was pretty well done in for the day.


So we'll be busy this weekend talking with people and enjoying the weather. I need to get my act together but I seem to be slowing down rather than stepping it up lately. With the warmer weather, we need to get our stuff in gear and get a bunch of stuff done. There's too many half finished projects that need to be wrapped up this spring into early summer.

Throwback Thursday

This #ThrowbackThursday is to just over a year ago when we released the horses onto the lawn to get used to the grass. Its' easier to catch the horses on the lawn than it is in the big pasture.

I think everyone is looking forward to enjoying pasture time (even if it's on the lawn rather than the big pasture).

Wishlist Wednesday - Hay Rings

This Wishlish Wednesday, we wish for hay rings. The two hay rings in the big herd have seen better days. In fact, the one will not last another season. We bought them used (and used hard) so we are happy that they have lasted as long as they have. We have two other hay rings but they are cattle hay rings and the horses rub their manes off on the tops of the rings. Its' disappointing to see their luxurious manes disappear.

I've seen a number of different types of hay rings, some made out of metal while others are made out of plastic. In truth, I am not concerned at all on the type, brand, or even if it's used! We use hay nets along with the hay rings and without the hay rings, the  nets get trampled on by the horses so it's a necessity to have hay rings.

I know it's a lot to ask for a hay ring but it's definitely one that is used every day for six months out of the year.

Tip Tuesday - Healthy Treats for your Horse

It's #TipTueday and today's tip is about what healthy treats you can feed your horse!

Light the Night 2018 Another Success

Our third annual Light the Night was another success. This has to be my all time favorite fundraiser and event that we do all year. It's so humbling to see the number of loved ones being honored. 


Pictures are worth a thousand words so I'll leave you with pictures rather than my ramblings.

Throwback Thursday

This #Throwback Thursday is to two years ago during our first annual Light the Night fundraiser. This is  my absolute favorite fundraiser we do all year. Simply donate $5 in honor of a loved one (two-legged or four-legged), and we'll light a luminary in honor of your loved one.

Luminaries this year will be lit on Saturday, April 21st at the Legion Hall in Renner, SD. We'll light the luminaries at dusk. If you'd like to light a luminary, simply donate through paypal at www.paypal.me/Borderlands and tell us who you want us to honor.

Looking forward to another great Light the Night fundraiser. This is such an honor for us to put on such a wonderful fundraiser.

Wishlist Wednesday - Toys

This Wishlish Wednesday, we wish for toys or other form of entertainment for the horses. We have a jolly ball that they sometimes mess with. We also have half of a plastic apple that holds the flavored licky thingies (sorry, can't think of the official name of them).

Maverick and a few of the others are starting to get bored. Until they can be out on pasture, which won't happen until sometime in May, they need something to keep them entertained. Any type of toy would be greatly appreciated.

Tip Tuesday - Pasture/Grazing Management

We may be going into yet another Winter Weather Advisory but it's always good to be proactive and think about your pastures. The growing season will be here before we know it (maybe). What better way to plan your pasture grazing and pasture management than during a blizzard.


Always best to be prepared and might as well do it now while there's still snow on the ground. You won't want to come up with a plan after it's too late.


#TipTuesday

Light the Night Coming Up

I'm afraid our Light the Night fundraiser is going to be a bust. I've been under the weather and preoccupied with other things so I haven't really done any advertising. It is going to be a skimpy year for fundraisers this year I'm afraid.


But Light the Night is this Saturday, April 21st from 4-10pm. I do very much love this fundraiser. It's my favorite seeing all those people and pets being honored. It's rather humbling.


We'll be at the SD Legion Hall in Renner, SD this year. I'm looking forward to this fundraiser even if I haven't done due diligence and advertised like I should have. I'm hoping people will stop out and light a luminary on Saturday.


The last few weeks have been a little rough. I had plans on getting stuff done last night and instead had to hide in the dark to keep the migraine monster at bay. I had to wait until after dark to do chores just to make it possible to even function. Oh if only there was more than one of me running this Sanctuary. Sorry, I'll hop off that pity train right now.


but I AM excited for our fundraiser even if I'm not prepared.

Boredom Antics

Sunday after I let the big herd out of the barn, Maverick wanted to play. His playmate is Lightening. No one else really wanted to play after a blizzard. Maverick is one of those that dont' go in the barn (for multiple reasons including he'd tear up the barn with boredom).


So instead he wanted to play with Lightening. Lightening had been in the barn but he was ready to play too! I'm glad Maverick now has someone willing to play with him; otherwise, he'd be tearing up more blankets than I cannot afford.


I'll leave you with a few pictures of Maverick and Lightening's antics Sunday morning.

April Blizzard

Well, we survived the blizzard, not without a couple of scares but we survived. Everyone is fine and healthy but we are going to have to look at a few of our buildings a little closer.


It started raining Friday. Luckily I'd put blankets on everyone I could so they wouldn't be miserable. I'd rather have soggy blankets than wet and cold horses. I had thought the blizzard was going to hit around 7pm but it never did. I went ahead and put horses in knowing that the blizzard was coming and wanted to make sure everyone was protected.


The mares and Junior's pen get the worst of the east wind and it was coming directly out of the east. It was so strong that it raised the roof of the hay barn slightly. Just enough to scare the bajezees out of me. I wasn't sure if the building would last through the storm or not but it did. I ended up leaving the mares and Junior in their stalls from Friday night until Sunday morning because the winds and snow were so fierce.


I'd let the big herd out of the barn Saturday morning so they could stretch their legs. They were not impressed. Within a half an hour they were coated in snow and looking at me to put them back in. Luckily they have two runin sheds they can get into so I wasn't worried. But I did put them back in Saturday night.


I'm glad the storm is over but now they are talking about another storm Tuesday night into Wednesday. So much for spring. Mike was actually supposed to leave Friday to head to the Black Hills but his plans were cancelled when they talked about how bad this storm was going to be. I'm glad because we might not have gotten that much snow, but there were drifts up to my hips in front of the barn.


I know there's more to tell but I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things.


The following pics were taken Sunday after the storm had passed. I think everyone was ready for some nicer weather.

Brego and Zeke

Dude and Brego

Jim and Maverick

Friday the 13th Storm

I wonder if this storm will go down as the Friday the 13th storm?


I woke this morning to thunder, lightening, and wind. I checked my phone and our local weather station said that there were over 500 lightening strikes. Yep, I do believe they were right. I debated on running out to do chores but figured I'd best not. But I did make the mistake of letting Farley out. He hates storms and disappeared before I could even think. I went to look for him but that's when the skies opened up and it started hailing.


I knew it was going to be a wicked storm when I looked out first thing before turning on any lights and seeing Zeke prancing around tossing his head. All the horses can feel this storm rolling in. Luckily Farley remerged after the storm. But during this round, we received lots of pea sized hail. In fact, the ground now looks like snow even though it's hail.


I do believe we are in for one heck of a storm. West river they already closed interstate. Funny thing is, I'm working from home today so no stress. But I was planning on working from home at the paying job to see Mike, Dad, and my nephew off to go hunting in the Black Hills (they were planning on leaving today). That all changed when they switched our forecast to a blizzard warning for tonight (for us and today for west river).


They are comparing this storm with the one from 2013, Storm Atlas that killed thousands of livestock. I can't imagine the devastation. Now is NOT the time to have these kinds of storms. With the calves coming, I'm sure that it's going to be tough on farmers. Luckily our horses are tucked into their blankets and they will be stalled later. I wish we had bigger stalls and better barns for them to go into but beggars can't be choosers.


I'm guessing that Lace, Mayhem, and Junior will be stuck in their stalls starting tonight and wont' get out until either Saturday night or Sunday morning. The wind is predicted to be out of the east, which means their pen gets the brunt of all wind. We have trees but its' not enough to keep the wind out. Junior has lost weight recently so I'm more protective of him. I think it's my fault that he's lost the weight as well. I havent' been as diligent about his nightly feeding since I moved him. The nights sneak up on me and usually by the end of the day I'm shot and don't feel well. He takes hours to eat.


Last night we did put in an extra bale in the big herd to be pre-emptive. If we are to get a foot of snow, when it melts, its' going to make a muddy mess and make it almost impossible to get hay in or tear up the yard too much. So instead we sacrificed the remaining part of the bale and put a new one in. Of course the horses attached that like they were starving (they. are. not.). I also got everyone into blankets that has a blanket. This season has been hard on blankets. Everything is starting to show its wear and tear. But I'd rather have dry horses and ruined blankets. We also topped out the water in the mares' pen so I wouldn't have to lug hoses around in the snow and mud. By the time we were done with all those chores it was after 10pm. Of course we didnt' get out until after the kids had gone to bed. Life of running a sanctuary isn't exactly all glamor and glitz. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.


I had wanted to get stalls prepped and ready to go for tonight but that didn't happen. By 10pm I was done in and could barely stand. My back has been bothering me and after throwing the hay net onto the bale and all the blankets I wasn't able to throw straw and hay around to get everything ready. I may sneak out at noon to get some of that done, at least the mares' and Junior's stalls.


These kinds of storms definitely have me rattled. Of course I get rattled over any kind of storm but storms in general make me nervous.

Throwback Thursday

This #ThrowbackThursday is to two summers ago when it was stinky hot and the horses had figured out a secret hiding place in the trees. It was their go to place for shade and the hide from the bugs.

Junior and Rabbit

Nails on the Floor

My beloved old dog who has been with me for 12 years and has been with this place just 6-8 months after moving in is failing. I'm trying to do what I can but at the age of 14, there's not too much that can be done except give him pain meds.


He loves being inside. When we lost Gypsy, I let him into the house right away because the last time we lost a dog, he'd gotten depressed. I didn't want that to happen so into the house he went so I could keep an eye on him. He's always been house trained even though he's been an outside dog.


Ever since then, he's wanted to be in the house. And now that his health I failing him, I'm letting him into the house more. He deserves whatever he wants. He's protected me and kept watch over me so this is something little I can do for him.


I tried to coax him into the rest of the house this morning and it brought tears to my eyes. I forgot what a comfort it was to hear toe nails on the floor. Of course Farley's are much slower and louder but it brought memories flooding back of when we had our little min pin, Trouble, who we lost at the age of 14 as well.


I never realized how much toe nails on the floors would be such a comfort to me. Some days it just hits you hard all the ones that have gone before you.

Wishlist Wednesday - Mineral Blocks

This Wishlist Wednesday, we wish for mineral blocks. I am not confident with the hay we have been feeding all winter if the horses are getting all the exact nutrients they need. They seem to be doing just fine but I want to make sure they have every advantage they can as winter continue to drag on in this year.

Tip Tuesday - Drinking in Cold Weather

Because winter will never seem to leave (another storm is forecast to arrive Friday, starting with rain and turning to freezing rain, sleet, and then snow). I thought that even though winter is almost over, it's a good reminder to think of our horses during this latest cold snap to make sure they are getting enough water to drink.


#TipTuesday

Tip Tuesday - Photosensitivity

It's going to be a two-fer day for #TipTuesday. I happened to find this infographic about photosensitivity and it hit home. Rain had photosensitivity and we almost lost him not long after bringing him home. I'm much more sensitive and worried about it now.

Light the Night - 2018

Light the Night is fast approaching!


It will be held Saturday, April 21st at the Legion Hall in Renner, South Dakota from 6-9pm.


To participate, donate $5 in honor of a loved one and we will light a luminary during our Light the Night fundraiser. Proceeds will go to our vet bill and for spring shots.


You can donate at www.paypal.me/Borderlands or send checks to
Borderlands Horse Sanctuary
26160 457th Ave
Humboldt, SD 57035


Please pass along the information. The  more luminaries, the more fun it is to see all those being honored on this very special night.

Playing in the Snow

We had yet another snowstorm roll through over the weekend. It's becoming a constant occurrence these days. Everyone seems to be complaining but I'm not. The  moisture is definitely needed even if we are currently not on the drought monitor any more. I don't want to be in the same predicament that I was in last summer where I couldn't get any hay because our hay ground never received any rain.

Unfortunately, with it being a spring storm instead of an early winter storm, we are met with different weather conditions. It's nice to know that the snow won't last more than a day but in the mean time the weather is terrible. We had freezing rain first, and then the snow. That means wet horses and potential colds and other illnesses. Not something I want to deal with. Luckily I still had blankets on from the previous storm so all was good (except for Zeke who didn't have one on but I think this storm, he was wishing he did).

This morning when I went out to do chores, there was a fine layer of ice on top of the snow. When I had gone out to do chores last night, the snow had stopped but the wind was still fierce and it was trying to sleet.

And wouldn't you know, tomorrow is supposed to be in the upper 40s and lower 50s. So we are going from low 20s to upper 40s in a matter of 24 hours. It's amazing how resilient these animals are during spring.

Had I been up to it, I probably would have stalled a few but I was once again under the weather. I swear I'm sick about as often as the snow storms roll through. It's getting rather old (both being sick and the snow). A memory showed up on my personal Facebook page yesterday with a picture of my kids. Wouldn't you know, there was green grass and the kids were playing without a coat. Definitely different this year.

But the horses were fractious yesterday while I was out doing chores early yesterday. I was able to get a few really good action shots with my phone. I'll leave the rest of the blog for your visual approval.

Maverick and Chaos

Maverick and Chaos

Maverick and Dude

Chaos (rolling), Dude, and Maverick

Maverick and Chaos


Did you notice the reoccurring theme? Maverick was the instigator on almost all the play. He even got Jim going in the play. So nice to see that Jim, even at 31 still has it in him to give Maverick a good walloping.

What is It?

Is it a train? Is it a conga line? Is it a parade?

Nope, it's Maverick pretending that Dude is a large enough wind break during our latest snow storm.

Spring in SD

We may officially be in spring in South Dakota but it feels far from it. I know everyone is talking about how winter keeps holding on. Granted I'm ready for spring to be here as well but when I look at the drought monitor, I'm ok with a few inches of snow every few days. I'd rather have it now than way back in November or December when we'd keep all that snow and it would only run off and not soak into the ground.


Unfortunately, we have been dealing with colder temperatures. I had hoped that we'd be above freezing so I wouldn't have to worry about water. That didn't happen. I now have to take a hammer to the mares' water to keep it open. The water heaters we had both died unexpectedly (they were brand new this year). I had hoped we could hold out but taking hammers to ice in water tanks isn't exactly mart in my books. We'll see if we continue with the downward spiral of cold temperatures.


Everyone seems to be doing ok. Of course today it's almost 40 degrees. Unfortunately I have blankets on everyone. It was cold last night and I wasn't feeling the greatest to go pull blankets. This morning of course I was running late (as I always am for everything). But the weatherman is talking another round of snow on Sunday. But of course, that's when my farrier is suppose to come!


And I am trying to avoid looking at the radar for next weekend. Wouldn't you know, it's supposed to rain and/or snow all of next weekend and Mike is going to be away. It's not really that big of a deal but it does mean that I have to be a bit more coordinated as I'm the only one caring for the horses.


I've been struggling on focusing to get anything done this week. Too much to get done and not enough motivation or....it's more that there's not enough sunshine. I'm very driven by the weather.


The horses on the other hand are doing splendid and don't seem to mind one way or another if it's cloudy or sunny. I'm waiting to move the mares and Junior to the other pen. It'll probably be this weekend when I move t hem as their bale is about done and I want them off their pasture. It's a perfect location for them until mud season. I don't want them tearing up the pasture but I hate putting them in the other pen because there's no where for them to go. It also means I need to come up with another stall for Junior to go into or I have to halter him and walk him into his stall every day. It's not really a big deal but when you have kids and tight schedules, every second counts. Yes, I'm complaining about silly issues but I'll take it.


Now, to go in search of that motivation.

Throwback Thursday

This Throwback Thursday is to a past summer when the pastures were green and lush. I think everyone is ready for green pastures instead of snowstorm after snowstorm.

#ThrowbackThursday, #TBT

Major Projects Coming Our Way

There's all this information I've been waiting to blog about and yet I seem to not find the time. I'm not sure what's been going on lately but hopefully I'll be able to fix that soon. Of course kids, horses, work, and not feeling well sort of puts a damper on a lot of activities.


We had a winter storm roll through Monday into Tuesday and now the temps have dropped. We had single digits this morning. I wasn't prepared. I've been fairly spoiled in going out to do chores in just my winter boots and pjs, rather than donning my winter gear. But I know it won't last for long.


I need to start getting things lined up so that we can tackle our three to four big projects this summer. It needs to be the first half of the summer and not anything into the fall like we normally do. I want to be able to breath this fall and not feel like there's such constriction on my chest when I think of all that needs to be done before winter rolls around.


Our four big projects consists of:


1: Finishing up the roof on the hay barn. It's not really a big project but it still needs to be finished. It's such a relief to walk in to the barn and find that it's still dry and snug. But there's still areas that need to be repaired and the rest of the roof needs to be secured. We did what we could while the weather held but we were pushing our luck. So once the weather warms up into the 50s and 60s, we can tackle wrapping up that project. All we need is better temps and time.


2: "Waster Management" as Dad would call it. We need to get the manure out of the place and onto the farmer's field. The catch is...well actually there's multiple catches. We haven't hauled manure for awhile so there's lots of work to be done. First we need to contact the farmer to make sure we can still put manure on his field (that's not really a problem). The second is lining up a skid loader so that we can get into the leanto off the barn. The roof is too low for any tractor to get in and it's fairly deep these days. There's too much to scoop by hand so we NEED to find a skidloader. I expect we'll have to rent one but if we could find one to borrow, that would make life easier. We'd use it to not only scoop out the leanto but to fill the manure spreader. Otherwise, we have to hook and unhook the big tractor every time. The big tractor needs to be hooked to the manure spreader but it's also the only tractor that's running and has a bucket. So it will be used no matter what. The other issue, is that our manure spreader needs a bit of work before it can be used and currently it's tucked behind the Massey, which just so happens, isn't running. And it's not an easy fix because the loader part of the Massey is down on the ground so we can't just drag it out of the way. So there's lots to coordinate in a very small window of time. We have to make sure we get the manure out of our place and onto the field before the farmer starts planting so this is a very time sensitive project.


3. Finish reroofing the old garage. Its' not technically Sanctuary related but it is where most of the tools are located. Again, this is not an easy task as we have to build eaves for the remaining three sides, then strip off the old shingles, and then put new shingles on. I see this project taking multiple weekends but it'll look so nice when it's done. We've been dealing with a leaking garage roof for quite some time.


4. Fencing the main pasture (or really re-fencing). I'm not sure if this will happen but it DOES need to happen fairly soon. We need to come up with the funds to refence the entire pasture and then find the time to get it done. I'm struggling with finding the money as there's never enough and I am not sure where to even look to begin searching for grants. I know what I want for fencing and I'm not sure I'll get it. I'm not looking for anything fancy, but I know what we've done in the past won't hold them for the years that we need. But it HAS to get done soon. Last summer a corner post rotted off and a couple of the herd decided to go for a walk. We can't risk having the dependable big pasture not be dependable. So we either look at putting in new fence this year or next year. Either way, it HAS to get done. Even if it means taking out a personal loan to cover the cost. Good fencing make good neighbors and I certainly don't want to be a bad neighbor.


So that's the list of things we have to get done and the sooner the better. We can't wait until October to start these projects because these all take a considerable amount of time.


Anyone have any suggestions or know of ways to help?

Wishlist Wednesday - Dewormer

It's Wishlist Wednesday and we are in need of dewormer paste. We have 13 horses that need to be dewormed in the next couple of weeks and it would easy our minds and pocket books if even a few of the horses had dewormers given to them as gifts (they might not think them as gifts but I know I will!)

We unfortunately are off on our rotation so we aren't picky about what kind or brad is donated, only in that we have some type of dewormer.

Spring Snow Storms

Well, the Winter Weather Advisory is coming to an end. Winter is hanging on a little bit longer than most people would like. As much as it makes things a muddy mess and sets us back as far as our hopes of spring really being here, I'm ok with it. It means extra moisture in the ground. I'm not sure I can handle another drought.

Yesterday I went ahead and blanketed almost everyone and I'm glad that I did. I heard rumors that we had rain before it switched to snow. I have no idea if it rained or not. I slept like a log last night so when I woke this morning and saw snow, I was pretty pleased that I'd gone ahead and put blankets on everyone.

I was even more pleased when I went to check on the big herd and heard blankets crinkle from having them freeze. So I do expect that we had rain before it switched to snow. We are supposed to get yet another snow storm early next week. I do think we've been fairly spoiled in having such short winters so I'm not too concerned.

Everyone is doing fine although I'm still slow to get anything done these days. The only reason I'm getting this blog done is because my paying job cancelled work. The weatherman had predicted blowing snow about the time everyone was commuting back home and the roads in weren't the greatest. They dont normally cancel work, but I'll take it when I can!

#TipTuesday - Scratches

Mud season is right around the corner for us in South Dakota. I'm sure other areas have been dealing with mud for months. We're actually dealing with a Winter Weather Advisory and about 3 inches of snow but we'll soon have mud again.

We've dealt with scratches in the past. Rain had a severe case of scratches and it took lots of trial and error to find what works best to cure his case. King, Chaos, and I think Dude have had it as well. Anyone with white socks are more prone to it.

So for today's #TipTuesday, we found a little infographic to share a bit of information about scratches.