Pasture Pictures

I didn't get a chance to take pictures last night because everyone came up from pasture while I was out. After one day, they are already trained to come into the drylot for the night. I'm guessing it had more to do with the flies and mosquitoes than anything else but I'll take it.


There is so much relief right now for me with almost everyone out on pasture. No more hay (except the ponies and Mayhem and that will change soon). Everyone is pretty well content to enjoy the grass, water, and shade that summer brings. No more heavy winter coats, coveralls, boots, hats, gloves, mittens, etc. to don before trudging out. I can just walk out the door and not have a care in the world other than making sure everyone is comfortable in the heat.


Hard to think that 2 months ago, we were dealing with winter and snow. But I'm happy for summer even if it seems like we are dealing with July weather rather than June weather.


I will leave you with a few pictures from that first morning and their complete enjoyment of being out on pasture. Love seeing the look of pure bliss on the horses

Brego

King, with Zeke and Brego in the background

Jim and Rain

The herd (much smaller this summer but still very diverse)

Maverick trying to photobomb King's picture

Be My Valentine - Rain

Meet Rain
Rain is a 20 year old grade Arabian gelding who came to live at the Sanctuary long before the Sanctuary existed. He is now the horse who has been with me the second longest.  Rain was originally my personal horse to replace my soon-to-be-retired Arabian, Ace. I fell in love with Rain immediately. Who wouldn't want their own "Black Stallion" even if he was a gelding?!


It took a long time to bond with Rain. We had many failed attempts at trail rides before I sent him to the trainer. Not long after returning from the trainer, Rain fell very ill. I believe he ate something that very nearly killed him and as such, he's had a compromised system. I have a feeling that he had a photosensitivity reaction, at least that's why my research leads me to believe. Even now, 13 years later, Rain still does not have hair on the backs of his white socks.


Because of his near death illness, I also believe that he is now even more suseptable to weather changes. Being in South Dakota where the weather always changes, it's a bit tricky to keep him feeling comfortable. He either had heat stroke or heat exhaustion so in the summer months, we have to keep a very close eye on him to make sure that he is well hydrated and staying cool in the shade. In the winter months, he now has thin skin and a thin winter coat so on goes his blanket not long after the first snowflake flies.


Rain was my personal horse until 2017 when we decided to add him into the Sanctuary.


Rain's personality is a mix of Arabian ornery and inquisitiveness. He's not outgoing by nature but he is an instigator of many wild dashes through the pasture. He loves to make sure the herd gets riled up and tires to provoke others into a good gallop. Chaos decided to become Rain's shadow and even now, years later when Chaos is bigger and second in command, Rain is the only one to put Chaos in line (besides Dude).


Rain has been a very good riding partner after years of miles and even though he's retired, I've been fortunate enough to pull him out and ride with him on occasion. He deserves to retire fully and enjoy his time as a pasture pet.


Knock on wood, Rain has been a fairly healthy horse after his near death illness but we keep a very watchful eye on him. He lives in a blanket from December until April and if need be, we'll start him on grain if it looks like he's losing weight.


Rain would love to have a monthly sponsor to keep him in a wardrobe that some women would die for. Rain's monthly sponsorship is $50 and would buy him a bag of Ramona feed and put money back towards a multitude of different blankets (heavy weight, medium weight, rain sheets, etc.) He's a horse that needs a wardrobe to fit the seasons. In return, you'll receive monthly updates and pictures of Rain (most likely instigating gallops through the pasture or him sleeping in his two favorite spots in the drylot).


You can sponsor Rain through PayPal at www.paypal.me/Borderlands  or via mail at

Borderlands Horse Sanctuary
PO Box
26160 457th Ave
Humboldt, SD 57035

#MyValentine

Wishlist Wednesday

Wishlist Wednesday

This Wishlist Wednesday, we wish for senior feed. We aren't picky about the brand, we integrate the senior feed if/when we switch brands. The senior horses (and hard keepers) need senior feed to keep them fat, happy, and sassy during the long, cold days and nights of winter. We want to give them just a little bit extra when they need it to make sure they maintain the correct weight.

Even one bag makes a difference in making sure our senior horses and hard keepers maintain the right weight to keep them happy.

Junior and Lace

King, Chaos, Dude, Rain, and Zeke

Zeke

Picture Updates

Because I haven't posted recent pictures of the horses lately....

Bo coming in for his grain

Lightening was curious but Zeke could care less

Zeke, Lightening, and Dude in the background

Chaos, Brego, and Rain in his blanket

Bo found the hole in the haynet

Dude

Dude (his leg is cocked so that explains the funky hip)

Brego

Winter is Officially Here

I'm so glad I have a job that lets me work from home and that I had the good senses to stay home yesterday.


I was able to do a majority of my chores during my lunch break and that saved me lots of anxiety in getting chores done during the first winter storm of the season.


I watched the radar and watched out the window as I worked and at 3:30, it started to sleet. I'd already put a blanket on Junior while he ate his grain and put Bo in. Any wind that we get goes right up the driveway and right into Bo's pen. So instead he went into the barn where I thought it was snug.


Fast forward to when I could finally get out to do chores at 6pm. Boy howdy! I was sure glad that Bo was in the barn. By the time I got out, we had snow drifts in his pen and the wind was whipping the snow around so bad that it hurt when it hit your face.


I did end up putting Dude and Rain into the barn with Bo. I figured Rain wouldn't let me put a blanket on and if Dude was in the barn, then maybe others wouldn't have to crowd around the opening of the shed. Dude was standing guard and not letting anyone else in. That bugger.


This morning everyone was ready to get out and stretch their legs. I ended up putting Bo into the back pen because the wind was still hitting his pen. I'm not really sure what to do with him now. He wont' touch hay so I've been throwing him alfalfa. I'm not sure I can put him in the pen that he's in. I may switch and put the ponies where he is and put Bo where the ponies are but that's not a long term solution. I don't know. I guess we'll see. Bo had another off day yesterday where his breathing was labored. But that's for another post.


I'll leave you with some pictures of last night during chores and right as I was ready to be done for the night.

Dude happy to be in the barn

The view from the house as I was going in for the night. The yard light is where all the snow and wind goes when we have a snow storm.

The view somewhat close to the red shed and right in the middle of me doing chores

Rain happy to be in out of the elements

It's hard to tell but that's the pen Bo was in and that's exactly where all the wind goes. There's a snow drift in his pen now.

Thankful Day 16

Day 16: I am thankful I was able to do chores in the daylight yesterday evening! I am also thankful the possum didn't reappear (I think he re-homed himself).

Showcasing a Roll

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

Rain the Pro Drill Team Horse

What a weekend! Definitely jam packed with horses! So this post is going to be all about Rain! He did awesome. I know I've talked about him before but not a lot.

So late winter, we decided to put Rain into the Sanctuary. He has been my personal horse for many years. We have dealt with a number of health concerns and issues over the years after he fell sick. He's my "delicate flower" out of the herd and I have to watch him closely during the winter and summer to make sure he stays warm and cool. You can hear a little bit more about Rain in the video on our Facebook page.

But Rain is close to reaching many of our requirements for coming into the Sanctuary. So we decided to go ahead and make life easier on everyone by putting him into the program. But now he's stepping out of semi-retirement this year to be my drill team horse as Lightening needs a bit more experience and exposure to all things rodeo. He's a good spokeshorse for the Sanctuary!

I was worried that this weekend would be hot and with heat, I worry about Rain and riding him. But it was gorgeous weather, downright chilly at times. Rain loaded up both Friday and Saturday afternoon to head to the Irene Rodeo and he did great. He is out of shape, but who isn't after being pulled out of semi-retirement to run through fast, sharp patterns and routines with horses that he's unfamiliar with (and are younger than him!). He's an amazing horse. I didn't always think so but we've come a long way in these past thirteen years.



Rain certainly doesn't look like he's 19 years old but he is. We've had him since he was six and we've worked through a few training quirks but mostly it's been his health that has always been our main concern. He's a bit hard to describe as he's not a typical Arabian. I'm sure he's crossed with something but he's for sure an Arabian.

He's stoic in his manners and won't take any gruff from Chaos but he does get pushed around from Lightening. It's odd how the pecking order works at the Sanctuary. Only Dude is free of being harassed by any other horse as he's top dog at the Sanctuary.

Rain loaded up like a breeze both Friday and Saturday and stood at the trailer while we got everything ready, even with 20mph wind and gusts even stronger. He performed beautifully. I'll have to try and download a video of the routine we did this year for those that might need a visual on what we do in drill team.

Sadly, Rain is the short one in the middle! Of course the appaloosa and QH he's standing in between are rather large horses! But he holds his own with these fellow ladies and their horses! This pictures if from our Estelline Rodeo performance (June 16 and 17). We won best equestrian at the parade. Yes, Rain does parades as well!

And this is the drill team doing the pinwheel at the Irene Rodeo (June 23 and 24). It's the one move that Rain and I struggle with but we're getting the hang of it. We have one more performance for sure scheduled and another as a possibility but still waiting to hear back. I think Rain did fantastic coming out of semi-retirement to learn the routine in only a few short practices. He's a sharp one. Now if only I could get Lightening going as my new drill team horse so Rain could go back to semi-retirement!

Rain is a Performing Machine

So this is where I've been over the weekend...

I'm the one on the end! I had to pull Rain out of semi retirement for this year's Dakota Thunder Mounted Drill Team performances (and practices). I retired Zeke last August and was in search of a new horse. I found a new horse and retired Rain to light riding whenever needed but Lightening needs more work and time on him before he's ready for performances. Thank goodness for ol' Rain.


Rain was originally my personal horse (along with King) but this February we made the transition and put him into the program (along with King)...although he hadn't announced it.  (I'd been meaning to do a long post and video on our decision but haven't gotten there yet.) They are both 19 years old and have health ailments that render them Sanctuary residents. Neither would be good candidates for other people's riding purposes.


Rain became sick when he was much younger and we nearly lost him. He recovered but with some side effects. He can't handle the heat or the cold. So he has to be pampered at all times. King has flat feet and is very, very slow. He's not even a good candidate for a trail riding horse any more because he's so slow. We are looking at putting shoes back on him simply to keep him comfortable. He had shoes on before because he was ridden but when we semi retired him as well, we pulled the shoes. But semi retired or not, he may need shoes to keep him more comfortable. We'll see. I bought some ez boots but not in the right size. He's got a weird size so nothing fits him.


But back to where we were. I took Rain (and Lightening) to the Estelline Rodeo in Estelline, SD this past weekend. Rain did great. Lightening, well, lets just say I'm finding out more of his quirks the longer I'm with him.


It is nice to showcase a Sanctuary horse even if no one talked rescue/sanctuary this weekend.


Next weekend Rain and I will be back with the Dakota Thunder Mounted Drill Team to perform at the Irene Rodeo in Irene, SD. Come on out and meet Rain (and the rest of Dakota Thunder)! We love to perform in front of a large audience!

Summer Pasture Time!

I spent Saturday scrambling to get the temporary fencing up so that I could release the big herd. I've been more than anxious to get them out on grass. The hay guy is worried about having enough hay, which makes me even more nervous. So having horses out on pasture means no more putting hay in! Hopefully with dividing the pasture, we'll be able to rotate enough and be able to bring the horses back to this section of the pasture later this summer. It'll also give me a chance to do some serious spraying.


I've been trying to spray at least once a week to go after weeds that have been long forgotten and are taking over. I'm excited to see the results. So much neglect over the past couple of years and I'm finally getting back to it. Not sure that I'll get to do any spraying this week but this week is going to be busy.


I wish I would have taken my camera last night to take pictures. There was some pretty sights last night out in the pasture. But for now, I'll leave you with a few pictures of the first day out to pasture.




Jim and King



Brego, Dude, and Chaos



Rain and Jim

Penny supervising the herd

Penny having a discussion with Brego (and Brego's shadow, Ivan)

Quick Update

It's been a little bit since I've rambled about the goings-on at the Sanctuary. We had a successful Light the Night fundraiser. That has to be my favorite fundraiser because it's so humbling to me to see all those that are being honored.


I've been trying to keep Bo on grass as much as possible. He spent all of Sunday on the lawn grazing. My family came to visit for birthday celebrations and I pulled Chaos out for my nephew to ride. It's fun to watch as kids discover horses and the joys they bring. But while Chaos was being led around, Bo decided that he was supposed to follow Chaos. It was a funny sight. I also had Rabbit out but she doesn't go very far from her herd. Bo gave up following Chaos after once around the yard and went back to hang with Rabbit.


The wind was a bit much on Sunday but nothing unusual. I went to check on Rabbit and couldn't find her. She'd put her self in her stall that doesn't exist! I think she just wanted to get out of the wind. I don't blame her!


Later in the afternoon, my nephew was itching to get back on and ride so I saddled up Rain and took him. There's only three saddles that fit Rain. My normal western saddle, the Australian saddle, and an English saddle. I didn't think fast enough to grab my Australian saddle and my nephew fits best in my saddle so I grabbed the English saddle. I haven't ridden English since right after my daughter was born (over 1.5 years ago) and I only rode for about 5 minutes. I wanted to lift a light saddle (that's why I went with the English saddle rather than my heavy western saddle) for that brief ride. But it's been awhile since riding in an English saddle and then try leading another horse who prefers to eat grass over walking!! And Rain walks MUCH faster than Chaos and his poky gate. But I think my nephew had fun and that's all that mattered. Even Chaos seemed to enjoy himself.

btw: Chaos is MUCH bigger than Rain. This picture is deceiving.

I do think the horses would be much happier if I could spend more time with them like I used to. But for now, I'll hopefully have another helper around the place.


I decided to put Bo in a pasture to see if that would help with his ulcers. I missed a couple of times with his meds so am making up for it now. I don't think the omeprazole has really made a difference. Unfortunately, he's still wheezing and coughing so the cold never went away. But the omeprazole is super expensive and I know the vet is going to suggest another two weeks of treatment. Bo hates the medicine and requires me tying his head down just to get half of the paste in. He's getting better but I don't want to ruin it. So I'm sort of at a loss. I guess I'll call the vet this week and see what they suggest.


I'm holding off on calling the vet for Rabbit. I have not made the decision yet but I'm really only waiting for nice weather. The rest of this week is supposed to be rainy and dreary and I don't want to have to say goodbye with that type of weather. Call it silly, call it frivolous, call it whatever. But I want her last hours and minutes on this earth to be happy and filled with green grass and sunshine. Not rain/snow and cold. That's not the way to leave this earth. So instead I'll wait. She's no better, yet no worse than she has been for the past few months. But she has told me. I'm letting her enjoy some grass on the lawn but she doesn't wander far. It's time. And I know it. But putting all the pieces together is the tough part. I know some will think I'm crazy but the weather plays into it, the paying job has to give me time off, and I can't have other stuff going on. This weekend we have Mike's parents visiting so even if it was nice weather, I couldn't bring myself to make the appointment.


People sometimes ask why I don't get more done. Well, that's why. There's always something. Either there's kids to care for, extended family visiting or doing something, or the paying job. Like last night, it was 9:30pm by the time we finally got the kids asleep and I could sit and upload Light the Night pictures (and fight my computer and phone...technology hates me!). Considering I have to be up at 5:30 am to get ready for the paying job, I can't spend too much time on the computer because I need sleep. I sit all day and read, so I need to be able to concentrate and not be exhausted every day while trying to get through the paying job. So, not as much stuff gets done. Would I love to have more help, Heck Yeah!!! So, if anyone would like to help, just let me know. I'm sure to come up with stuff that needs to be done, even if you don't live around here!!!


So that's what's been going on lately. Trying to keep up the momentum after the Light the Night fundraiser. Oh if only I could add three hours to my day!

Meet Rain this Saturday

Want to meet one of the Sanctuary horses? Come on out Saturday, March 18th to the Tri State Horse Expo. Rain will be performing with the Dakota Thunder Mounted Drill Team (he's my backup for Lightening....I now have Rain and Lightening!!)

The Dakota Thunder Mounted Drill Team will be performing at 5:45pm this Saturday, just before the rodeo. He'll also be hanging out before hand but I'm not sure where his stall will be. Just look for the tiny black Arab!

We sure hope you come on out to meet Rain and talk about the Sanctuary! And of course watch us perform!!!

Happy New Year

Rain

Happy New Year!!

I am looking forward to 2017 and all that it will bring. The end of 2016 was...interesting to say the least and I'll blog about that in another post. But I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Here's to 2017 being the best yet for the Sanctuary!

April Showers

This past weekend we took advantage of the free national park pass (and gorgeous weather) and had some quality family time out in the Badlands. With two small kids, we didn't do too much adventuring but it was nice to get away from the stresses of reality (i.e., paying job, sanctuary, bills, bills, and more bills). This entire month I've also been on-call for jury duty and I was finally called in on Monday (much to my dismay). Luckily the case was dismissed and now that we are at the end of April, I don't have to worry about jury duty any more and can start focusing again on the important things, like family and sanctuary.


I haven't really been paying attention to weather. I haven't really paid attention to weather all winter, and that's odd. If you know me, you know I'm a worry wart when it comes to weather. I guess my worry bucket can only hold so much worry and there's no room to worry about weather when you have no control over it. This past weekend was beautiful but I'd heard rumblings of colder weather.


I actually have to laugh. Last weekend we headed out to the Badlands National Park and it was hot out. We even snuck over to the Black Hills for an hour or two and it was beautiful. Now, both areas are getting snow! Luckily we are only getting rain. I'd heard that the weather was going to turn but I hadn't paid too much attention.


But I walked out last night to do chores and knew that it was going to be a cold rain if the wind continued to come out of the east. Last week I put up some corral panels so that I could start getting Bo, Junior, and Rabbit on grass to help perk them up. Bo and Junior are starting to drop weight and NEED to be on grass. So I left them out on grass for a little while.


I thought maybe I was over reacting but I'm glad I did. I pulled out a light weight blanket for Rabbit (it was Babe's) and pulled out Bo and Junior's blankets (wish they had something lighter but maybe not). Normally I wouldn't put blankets on but this is a cold rain and it'll soak them right down to the skin. Even if they can get out of the rain and wind, the wind will cut right through so I went ahead and put blankets on. Now I'm wishing I would have put a blanket on Rain. He doesn't do well with anything but sunny and 70 degrees.


Around 10pm I was glad I did. That's when the skies opened up and it poured. At least the three that seem to be struggling lately are snug in their blankets for the next day or so. I guess they never said what type of "April Showers (warm rain or cold rain) bring May Flowers".


I also dewormed the horses on Monday. Well, all but the mares and Maverick. I'd had the good sense awhile back to put in an order but apparently I misjudged the amount needed. So now we are four short and probably a fifth short because what went in Skippy pretty much all came back out. I'm a little worried that Jim isn't feel well after deworming him. I'm keeping a close eye on him.


Two weeks ago we ran up to Madison to pick up a small load of hay. We put the last of it in last night. We need to put in our (hopefully) last request for hay this winter (and will last through the summer). We pay by the ton and what we've already run through is what we bought the year before in big squares. We go through more tonnage with round bales. So now I'm going to be scrambling to pay for this extra load of hay. I have no idea where the money is going to come from.


While we were putting in hay, King decided to play Houdini and untie himself. Dude broke his halter and got loose too. I was able to get them both back in their rightful places until I could get the haynets on the hay (and before they demolished a good bale) but King once again figured out how to untie himself. I have no idea how he does it. He doesn't seem like the type to be mischievous but he is (and I forget every time).


Hopefully the hay will last longer in the very near future. I like putting the horses out on the lawn starting the first part of May. But with two small kids, I don't want to put up electric fence (and some horses don't seem to respect the electric these days and I don't want to spend a day trying to catch an entire herd of horses. So I'm going to have to drag out every possible corral panel and gate so that I can keep the horses in and the kids out. I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to get that done. But the sooner I get everyone out on grass, the better. Some of the hard keepers are losing weight even though they've been on the same hay and grain all winter. Anyone want to come out and help put up corral panels?


Brego has been telling me in no uncertain terms that I haven't been spending enough time out with the herd.  He's been curious of what I've been doing when normally he could care less. He used to be an easy horse to deworm and then switched. When I dewormed him on Monday, he barely fought me. I think he just wanted some attention. I am going to have to spend some time with him. Maverick too. I think he's been pouting the last week or so.


Oh if only there was more time in the day. On the bright side, the days ARE getting longer although it doesn't really help except when I am out at 8pm trying to put a hay net on. It's not so dark that I can't see what I'm doing.


So much to do and so little time to get it all done.

Zeke and Maverick from last August

Rain and Chaos from last August (I've missed seeing shiny butts!)

Throwback Thursday

Finally found space on a computer to download pictures (so I can upload them...seems like a crazy thought).

This was just last weekend. The horses are patiently waiting for the pasture to green up. We desperately need the hay barn painted (and reroofed). Anyone want to help with either? We are slowly buying Ondura sheets to cover the hay barn. It takes 30 sheets per side. We bought 10 last week while it was on sale. We also need to scrape and paint it but in doing so, we need to replace boards. The previous owner ran cattle next to the building so it's in rougher shape than some of the other buildings. We've patched it together but it really needs more help. I'd love to reside it but for now, I'll be happy to repair the weak spots and get it painted and looking sharp. I tried painting some of it last year with left over paint I had from painting the garage. But there's a lot of work needed. Anyone want to help?

It looks like Rain and Ivan were volunteering your help! Brego was trying hide from volunteering.