We finally had time to set up corral panels and get the herd out on the lawn on Mother's Day. It's a relief to know we can start getting the herd transitioned to grass for another year.
I know most will think I'm silly to put up corral panels on our lawn. Why not put them out on pasture to begin with? Simple. I'm lazy. If they are closer, I can keep a closer eye on them to make sure no one colics or something else goes terribly wrong. It's easier for me to track them down and make them come in on a 1 acre piece of land than it is on say, even 5. As it was, I had to ask King and Jim to come in (using a piece of twine), while the others walked in all on their own. When my time is limited, I have to do what I can, which means lawn pasture grazing for the first month.
We will graze the big herd on the lawn for a few weeks starting with a few minutes yesterday, and slowly progress to more time on pasture. Once the big herd is on pasture, we'll start with the mares and Diavlo. Once they have transitioned to pasture, we'll work on the ponies.
It's a slow transition and a bit drawn out, but it works and it means I can keep a close eye on everyone. I'm sure I'm being a bit cautious but it has helped to keep the vet bills down using this method.
I will be excited and relieved to have the horses out on pasture. No more putting in hay, no more worrying about our hay supply and if we'll have enough or when we'll need to put in more. Timing is everything when it comes to putting in hay these days.
Our next big hurdle will be vaccinations and deworming. I'd hoped to have done it May 1st so it would be easy to track but that didn't happen and another weekend rolled through without it getting done. Maybe this week but we'll see.
This coming weekend is "Poopagedon" (thanks to Captain Underpants for the reference). We will hopefully finally have a chance to haul out manure that's been collecting for a few years. I'm hoping that we can keep up with the manure after this coming weekend but we'll see. At the very least make it a yearly thing instead of every few years. The past few years, I simply couldn't keep up with everything going on in life. Now we are trying to rectify that situation but it's a slow process. Slow and painful but still getting done.
Once the new trailer is paid off, I'm hoping to start putting money towards a skidloader. While we dont' qualify for any grants or anything special like that, I'll be searching for skiloaders in my price range. I am guessing a skiloader will make the world of difference around here.
Here's to hoping for beautiful weather this week.
