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

Lets Talk Shelters and Shelterbelts

No pictures for this post (because I'm lazy). As I was working from home at the paying job,  I saw a tree company stop over and cut down a couple of our trees (and a few branches). I'm excited but also bummed because it means a bill. So, lesson learned. If you get a notice from your township/county, do what they asks. I expect we'll get a hefty bill for not taking care of the trees even though the letter had been sent more than a year ago and the guy that maintains our road volunteered to rip out the trees for us. Lesson learned.


But I guess it's like when your car breaks down and you have the means to do it but not the time. So I'll use that as the way to swallow my pride and write the check.


I didn't do my research for what is required in the state of South Dakota for "minimal care" of livestock. Horses are still considered livestock so people can get away with having less shelter. Not my thing.


We have two run in sheds in the big pen. One unfortunately does not have a roof thanks to the EF2 tornado that missed us by a half a mile. Still means the winds were strong enough to flip the top off. So, lesson learned on that. You DO NEED hurricane straps even if you don't live where hurricanes are (but do have tornados and straight line winds!)


We do not have a shelter in the smaller pen and I would desperately like to put one up. We had a tarp shelter a few years back but it didn't last more than a couple of months. Lesson learned on that one. Get the stakes put in the ground before the ground freezes. I don't think it would have been a total loss had we staked it properly.


The big pasture goes directly into the big drylot so the horses have access to the run in shed 24x7. The other two pastures dont' have sheds and I hate it. But, they do have shelterbelts. Where the mares and Junior stay all winter has a fantastic shelter belt. Where they stay in the spring and summer, it's not as great but there's more wind to keep the mosquitoes off.


I'd like to build a couple of shelter and we have most of the supplies to put one up but not enough time (or expertise). So if anyone has the skills and desire to put one up, let me know. Or if you want to purchase a prefab, premade shelter, that would be great too! Just let me know. I can't pay you for your work but I CAN feed you!


I'm also finding that our shelter belts are starting to die off. The trees to the east of the drylot are all dying at a rapid rate. There weren't many trees to begin with but that's because the runoff from the drylot killed off most of the trees. The nitrogen was too rich. I don't know if we'll be able to put new trees in or not.


But there's a lot to learn with shelters and shelter belts so if you have questions, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them. Lots of lessons learned on my part.

Lets Talk Outbuildings

I've missed a few of our Lets Talk session on the blog so you may want to head over to our Facebook page and listen. August was super crazy and it looks like September is shaping up to be even crazier. But for now, I did want to talk outbuildings because they play a large part in the Sanctuary.


We have a number of outbuildings at the Sanctuary and we use every single one of them. The gist of my talk was that if you have outbuildings, keep an eye on them and when something breaks, try to fix it if money and time allows. Because if you let the little things that break go, they'll turn into bigger things. Granted, redoing a roof is a big deal but usually you want to tackle a roof BEFORE it starts to leak or before there's problems.


We are faced with a number of issues. Some are minor and others are going to be catastrophic if we don't get to them pretty soon.


So the barn. It's really in pretty decent shape. On the backside, the roof is tin. It needs to be replaced because it does leak. But because it leaks directly onto the concrete, it's going to be something that has to wait. I'd like to do the Ondura sheets but that'll have to wait a few years. I think with a bit of sealant, we could get the leaks fixed but I need to be out when it rains. However, the barn DOES need a good paint job. I started this past weekend. I only went as far as I could reach without having to get the ladder out. It looks sharp but also silly. My theory was, I wanted to get as much done as I could even if it meant only getting the bottom half. Yes it's backwards from what you're supposed to do but something is better than nothing at this point. Now the barn glows at night!1

The red shed is in decent shape although when the tornado went through, the top peak in a couple of places broke so water pours in. I need to figure out what to use to fix the holes and just climb up there. We have a ladder that would fix it. But I need the time and a bit of materials to get up and do some patching. It's going to turn into an issue soon if we don't get it repaired. The two little buildings on the left also need some roof patching. I'm hoping Ican get something done this month. It's nothing major, just slap some tin on the roof and call it good. I've let it go and it's causing problems for me.

Then there's the dreaded garage. With the chimney gone and a hole, we had to do some quick repairs. And not really quick. Major work needed to be done. There were no eaves. The previous owner put some cedar shingles to fake an eave but that didn't help. The owner that build the garage didn't build eaves so now we are paying for it. This past weekend, Mike ripped off the shingles, built eaves, and reshingled. The problem is, we can't get the other three sides done. It's a gabled roof so there's four sides to the damn garage. Without full weekends to rip off shingles, build eaves, and slap new shingles on with lots of help, its' not going to get done. And it really does need to get done. The roof over the garage door is terrible and I am afraid  I'll pick up a nail soon. But there's priorities. The garage doesn't leak.

But the hay barn DOES leak. This was the roof we were supposed to tackle first before the gigantic hole in the garage roof. We'd been planning on reroofing this barn but I don't know how to do it. I thought we were going to get a boom truck but that's not available now. We have all the materials...well almost all of the materials and if we could have a solid weekend with some help, we could get maybe one side done...maybe. Things always go slower than what I expect. But this roof leaks and there are no shingles in some places. So I think the hay barn has to take priority over the garage although I worry about the shingles not finished off like they should. But if we lose the hay barn, we'll be in trouble. I use the hay barn for storage and lights and a bunch of other stuff. Its' darn handy and I don't want to lose it but we need help in getting it done.


Anyone want ot help? You dont' have to be up on the roof, down on the ground running errands would be perfect too. But we need help and I'm not normally one to ask for help but we are in a bind if we want to get two roofs done before the snow flies. And with the weather the way it is, I expect winter will be a month early this year.

So who's up for a little bit of physical work? I can feed you! If you're free let me know. And remember, keep up with the maintenance of your buildings. If you don't, you'll lose the building. I've learned that first hand. I guess that's why we are pushing to get the hay barn done.

Lets Talk Trailers

Let talk trailers

I can say that the trailers at the Sanctuary are about the only thing paid for! It may seem like an odd topic to discuss but if you have livestock, you need a way to get them from Point A to Point B and if not livestock, other "stuff" that needs to be moved.

So we're going to start with my old trusty stock trailer. This trailer doesn't look nice but it doesnt' owe me anything. Well, it does. I just put brand new tires on it so it has to last until the tires are worn out. I bought this trailer in 2003. It's a 1993 something or other. It's seen better days. We've had to weld almost everything on it but it still functions. It's my go to trailer even if it looks terrible. It is what it is and it's paid for. I'd love to get a better one but that's not in the cards unless someone wants to donate one.

The following trailer is my pride and joy although after a comment, there's a bit of a rub with it these days. It's a 1996 6 horse sundowner. I bought it initially because we had draft horses and we were making two trips to haul four horses to the vet. It was a pain and I loved the thought that I could throw a bunch of horses in and head to the vet (well, not going to the vet part but that I could haul anyone no matter what size they were). I like having it because there's comfort in knowing I could move almost everyone in an emergency. But in reality, I need to sell it. I need an enclosed trailer for drill team and when I haul in the winter. It makes no sense hauling this big trailer in the winter when I might get stuck in a snow drift and when I'm only hauling one horse.


I thought I was going to be able to sell it pretty quick but something happened to all the hinges so we are stuck replacing ALL the hinges and doing a bit of other work in hopes that I can come out, not even in selling it but not come out losing my entire butt.


I'll be sad to see it go but happy to buy a more functional trailer and possibly retire the gray stock trailer to only minor work.

The blue trailer was not quite a whim but I bought it because of the tires. It's a running joke in the family. I ended up using the tires off the blue trailer and put them on the gray trailer. I don't particularly like the blue trailer because its' slightly smaller and narrower than my gray trailer. But it's a 1979? and in better shape than the gray trailer. Right now Mike is working on the brakes and some other stuff so that we can possibly sell it. I'm not in a big hurry to sell it. It may or may not come in handy. Sort of silly to have three horse trailers but in an emergency, it's nice to know that its' there just in case. Silly but still there. It's in ghetto style but it'll need to be fixed and moved before the snow flies.

Last but definitely not least is the flat bed trailer. It's actually a car trailer but has seen more hay than vehicles. It's come in really handy. I would love to buy a gooseneck flatbed but we aren't there yet so instead we make due with this trailer. We try not to haul too much hay with it because the weight restriction on it means we can't pile on the hay like I'd like to. As it sits right now with six of the smaller bales, the trailer is maxed out. So it would be nice to have a bigger trailer.

And is the case, if a trailer is not unloaded right away, the stuff that's on or in it, will sit there until there is either an emergency and we NEED the trailer or we need the stuff on it. In most cases it's that we NEED the trailer for something else. So the stuff in/on the trailer gets unloaded in a hurry and usually in a heap somewhere. In most cases, unless it's an emergency, it'll just have to wait and usually unloaded a trailer is just that...not an emergency until you need it!

The gray stock trailer is loaded with Ondura sheets and 2x4s for the hay barn roof! Totally excited to see that project start but its' going to be difficult to figure out when we can get it done. The cooler weather helps and we should have access to a telehandler or boom truck, what with my uncle being stuck watching his crops whither away. But Mike's work schedule ramped up. That's the problem with Mike's schedule. It's opposite of mine. He's busy in the summer months and I'm busy with horses in the winter months.

But I digress...so there you have it...the trailers of the Sanctuary. I don't snicker at trailers either. We started out with a STEEL, 4 horse straight load turquoise trailer. Yes, someone painted it turquoise because that was the IN color in the early 90s.  You might have seen that trailer at the "summer retreat" when I had Junior and Lace up there. It's not one I "advertise" a lot because it looks dumpy. But it did get us from Point A to Point B...with a lot of snickers in our direction (but all in fun).

I think with any acreage, you almost have to have a trailer of some sort. Luckily we have a multitude to choose from and best of all, they are all paid for!

Lets Talk Vacation/Travel

Lets Talk Vacation/Travel


If you missed our Live Video on Facebook or don't want to listen to me ramble, here's another version of what is bouncing around in my head about "vacation". I'm sure I mentioned some of this in the previous post but still wanted to touch on it anyway.


So this past weekend we went on vacation. It's our annual tradition that we've been doing now for 30+ years. It's also not a tradition I'm willing to give up. I hear comments like "you're always going on vacation" "lucky that you get to go on vacation; we never do" or stuff like that.


I sacrifice to go on vacation when we do finally get to go. I also have small children that I want to make sure have the same experiences growing up that I was graced with. I don't want to be the reason they are held back from seeing the world. But it's still a rub to hear comments that maybe were meant to be nice but arent' taken that way because they seem overly negative. We've been going to the Black Hills for 30+. The timing has shifted over the past decade so we are stuck with going around the Sturgis Rally but managed to miss it this year (I don't hear motorocycles from the Sanctuary today which is odd...two years ago we went during the 75th annual rally AND I was 9 months pregnant...that's how stuck I am on this tradition!!!).


Where we go, we have no cell phone reception, no tv, no internet, no nothing. It's fantastic. I can unplug and just enjoy nature and relax. There's so much stress of running a Sanctuary, working full time, and caring for little kids. There's so many expectations and pressure that going on a vacation is wonderful, even if traveling with kids isn't really a vacation!

View from the valley where we stayed

What some don't understand is that with 16 horses, 2 dogs, and 1 cat, there's a lot of prep work! Checking fencing (or putting up fencing or moving corral panels), moving water tanks and totes, and making sure everything is in working order before leaving. Making sure everyone has enough food and water is the biggest and most time consuming task when planning on going for even 24 hours. Then you have to throw temperatures into the equation too. Because depending on how hot or cold it'll be means different work.


It might not seem like there's that much to do (after watching the video) but we had to move water tanks and water totes around, which also means moving pallets. It also meant moving corral panels around and adjusting where the ponies would be. And because Chaos loves to rip out fence, put temporary fence back up even thought I knew full well, he'd pull it back down (and he did).


Then there's the ever present need to ask someone to check on the place. I want to make sure that whoever I beg to look in on the place and feed the dogs doesn't have to do that much. If all they have to do is make sure that no one has fallen out of the fence and to feed the dogs, then I'm happy. Then maybe I'm not overextending my good graces on that person.

And because not all the horses were at the Sanctuary, we also had to do some scheduling to get horses hauled back home, ensure there was enough dog/cat food, etc. So for every day we plan on being gone, it's a day of prep. And that prep is always after the kids go to bed, which also means we are doing some of this prep work in the dark, OR we have to wait to leave until after all the prep work is done, which pushes back the time we are planning on leaving (both happened this time).

I love getting to see the world, and having my kids see and experience those same things but it takes a lot of time and effort to get there. We sacrifice a lot at the Sanctuary so that the horses can live comfortably. We give up extravagances (like most rescues and sanctuaries do) but I am not willing to sacrifice my kids getting to see what the world has to offer. This month they will be 5 and 2 and these are the ages where they are the most impressionable and when there are no obligations (on their part) so I want to take advantage of it while it lasts. Because before you know it, they will be 25 and 22 and on their own doing their own things and not wanting to go on vacation with us.


So for now, I will smile politely when someone mentions me going on vacation in a somewhat negative way, think unkind thoughts, and continue on my vacation.


If you have any questions about what to do or prep for when going on travel or vacation, let me know and I'll see if I can help. If anyone wants to volunteer to stop out and check on the place while we go on vacation (because YES we WILL go on more vacations), please let me know.

Lets Talk Tractors

Lets talk tractors!

When you look at acreages, you typically see a farm truck or a tractor sitting out. To do all the heavy lifting you need something to move whatever it is. When we first moved into the Sanctuary, we didn't own a tractor. Thankfully the neighbors up the road wanted to get something different.

Enter the Massey!



It got us through that first year or two but it wasn't ideal for just about anything. It really didn't have anything. I would watch Mike steer and the vein in his forehead would pop out and I was afraid it would explode. The Massey doesn't have power steering, nor does it have just about anything else. It blows smoke everywhere we go.


Luckily we bought the farm truck a few years back and the Massey has been sitting in the red shed after since. We should sell it but it's not worth anything and if we have the time to fix it, it would be useful for us.


Then came the BIG tractor! When we switched over to round bales permanently, my uncle knew of a tractor for sale. It wasn't shiny and it wasn't nice in the least but it ran and it worked. Enter the big tractor. We still owe money on it. We are paying for it ourselves and not through any grants, donations, or anything like that. Just trying to pay for it ourselves. I would have loved to have gotten a grant or some type of donation. Money to the tractor eats away at other things that could go directly to the horses.


But I a thankful for the tractor. Because without it, we'd be using the truck to push and pull in round bales. We did that one winter. It would take us two hours to push/pull in two bales. Now, it takes two minutes (once the horses are out of the way).

It has some sort of quick release thingy so that we can unhook the bale spear and switch over to the bucket. The tractor only came with the bucket. We had to go in search of the bale spear afterwards. My uncle also gave us a bale spear for the big squares. (Have I mentioned I have an awesome, awesome, awesome uncle!)


Then last fall, my dad knew of a little Alice Chalmers that was going to be sold. It was actually the Izaak Walton in Madison. And because Dad is the president of the Ikes in Madison, he had connections enough so that we could purchase the tractor.


You may be asking, why in the world do we need another tractor. Well, this one might seem a bit frivoulous but it isnt'. We can mow the pastures with it, we can mow the lawn with it, and we can use it to drag the drylot or even spray the pasture with it. We'll be putting it to use more as we find time. This tractor, like the other tractor, is not yet paid off. I have it half way paid off and I am paying for it personally. I have $900 left to go and I would LOVE to get it paid off sooner. Because then that money can go to pay off the big tractor or go to buy yet more hay. Because the more money I can put into hay (and stash away for vet bills), the better opportunity we have to open our doors for other horses (as now is the season for dumping horses)

The big tractor is our best investment and the others aren't necessarily needed but will and do come in handy when we need them. The big tractor also has a three point so we can attach our post hole digger (again courtesy of my uncle). It's not the greatest post hole digger but beggers cant' be choosers. I am simply happy that we have access to it.

So those are our tractors at the Sanctuary. Each has a set of chains so we can use them in the winter (but we don't except for the big tractor...thank goodness). It may seem like we are spoiled but, trust me, we aren't. These are all OLD tractors and they ALL have problems.

The Massey currently doesn't run. The big tractor has an issue that Mike cant' yet put his finger on so we'll just run it as is until it completely breaks and then scramble to figure out a solution. The little Alice with the mower also doesn't run the greatest. But we make due and dont' push them to the extreme.

Just like our horses, we have old tractors. Unlike our horses, we DO make these tractors work (even if we have to be super careful on how hard we push them so we make sure they don't blow up).

If it wasn't that Mike was mechanically savy, we wouldn't be able to have any of these tractors as they all have problems. Whenever we plan on using one, it takes an additional hour of tweaking to get everything running.

So, those are the tractors of the Sanctuary. I'd love to see your tractors!