Waste Management

No new pics of Sam tonight like I'd wanted. Instead Mike and I worked on what dad calls, "Waste Management" aka pooper scooper duty. We are hoping to get the big pile of horse manure out inot the farmer's field before next week. Our farmer friend is letting us one of his tractors to haul our manure spreader so we don't have to hook and unhook the Massey.

But after what seemed like two hours of pooper scooping to get it ready for tomorrow's "big day" I'm beat. I'll try to get some pics tomorrow of our "Waste Management" if all goes well and doesn't rain. Until then, too pooped (no pun intended) to write more.

Sioux Falls Horse Sale

Between today's Sioux Falls Regional Horse Sale today in Worthing, SD and Bob going off his feed, I'm absolutely worn out. Dad also mentioned Queen is off her feed and has runny poo so that adds more stress to my already stressfull day.

I got descriptions and prices of the loose horses. I'll post them later. But right now I'm exhausted mentally and think I'm going to go and veg for awhile.

More about Sam -- Upcoming Horse Sale

It hasn’t even been a full week yet and Sam is really starting to perk up. I was afraid that he wouldn’t like me or would be standoffish. The way to Sam’s heart is through his stomach. He now doesn’t flinch or shy away when I come up and pet him.

Every time I come out to the horse pens he whinnies to me. It’s the most hilarious thing I’ve ever heard. Here you would think that an 1800 lb horse would have this huge low whinny (Bob has one). Sam lets out this high pitched whinny that makes me double over in laughter every time I hear it.

And once Sam starts to whinny, Brego pitches in too. Brego is still so small and yet he has this low whinny. It’s just hilarious listening to those two. Sam and Brego’s whinny’s remind me of Dictator and Ace’s whinny’s. Ace had such a low whinny and Dictator had a pretty high whinny.

I love getting nickered to. It always makes me feel wanted. Brego stopped nickering to me awhile back but now that he’s in with Sam he hollers for me all the time. I love it. I’ve been grooming Sam down a bit whenever I get the chance. His winter coat looks like it’s all gone but I’m still pulling hair every time I run a brush over him.

The darn gnats are coming out and causing problems. They are eating up everyone’s ears. Luckily Sam has already figured out that I’m trying to help him feel better when I put the bug stuff in his ears. Some of the horses despise the stuff but Sam takes it all in without much fuss. He’s really very laid back.

I think I might have a plan for Bob. But I’m still considering euthanasia. If my plan doesn’t work out I guess that will be the route I have to go. I can’t watch him suffer. He’s actually getting to be a picky eater, which makes life even harder. I am thinking I’m going to increase his grain ration and see if that helps out more. I’m going to have to go to morning and night feedings. I think I have it figured out for the morning feedings. It’s just that Bob eats so darn slow I can’t stand around and wait for him for hours to finish eating when I need to get ready to head out for work in the morning. I actually feel like I did about a year ago when I was so worried about Ace’s health and Blondie’s health.

But on a slightly happier note (for me but not for all the horses involved), I’m planning on attending tomorrow’s Sioux Falls Regional Livestock Catalog Horse Sale. I was figuring on just going to the loose sale but the catalog and supplement only show about 30 horses listed. I guess they are expecting more but I want to make sure that I get there in time to walk through all the loose horses and take note of their conditions and which ones I could possibly take home of the need arises.

A year ago Sunday, at this very same auction, I brought home Ten Man. Someday I’ll blog about him. He was a heartbreaker for me but I went for a purpose and I guess he was that purpose. Poor guy. But if there’s more like him, I’ll see how much they go for and try to pull them.

The last Sioux Falls Regional Livestock Horse Sale I missed because of a blizzard. I knew better than to travel during blizzard conditions. And I’m sure I would have ended up buying a horse and having to go home and get the trailer in a blizzard. Luckily the weather is supposed to be nicer tomorrow. No rain! Last year’s sale had terrible rain and cold. This year I hope it’s fairly nice. It’ll be interesting to see what types of horses are there and who all shows up. I’m afraid by the end of the loose horse sale most people are gone. I can only hope there is a good turnout for all the horses that are run through the loose sale. I guess I’ll make sure I have a wad of money in my pocket even though I can’t afford to bring any more into Borderlands at this time. Keep your fingers crossed that there are no neglected horses and that they all go to private homes instead of to brokers and kill buyers.

Bob

I am completely and absolutely devastated. It occurred to me last night that I may very well have to put Bob down. The realization hit me at the same spot where I realized I had to put Blondie down. I’ve had Bob out on the grass for the past two to three days munching on grass. My hope was that once Bob is on pasture that he’d gain the weight back. I’ve been pumping him full of soaked senior, soy meal, weight booster, oats, and alfalfa too no avail. I’d hoped the grass would be the key to his weight gain.

But as I was doing chores last night, I noticed huge wads of uneaten grass. The same types of uneaten wads of grass that Blondie spit out just before I put her down. I know Bob has been spitting out the alfalfa but my thought was he was sucking the alfalfa leaves and leaving the stems. But after seeing all the grass, I’m afraid that’s probably not the case.

I know I’ve been in denial about Bob’s weight but I’m utterly devastated. The real question now is, what do I do? Do I put Bob out to pasture and keep a close eye on him to see if he’s eating the grass or spitting it out? Do I put him out on pasture for the summer and put him down this fall? Or do I put Bob down sometime this spring/summer since he’s not picking up any weight and I’m afraid starting to starve. I’m afraid the only nutrition he’s getting is from the grain. I can’t grain him in the morning because he takes so long to devour his food.

I’m actually sick thinking about it. I had to deal with the same situation last spring/summer/fall with Ace. I knew he couldn’t make another winter. But what about Bob? I’ve done everything I can for him but I know that if I do decide to selfishly keep him going through the summer that no matter what I’ll have to put him down this fall. I’m not sure that Bob can handle another winter. He’s coming out of this winter so tough. Every day he seems lose another pound, which he doesn’t have to lose.

I am completely heart sick. This week has been pretty rough but the realization that I’m going to lose Bob is really taking it’s toll. I knew at some point I would have to put him down but not yet. He’s only 21. He should have at least another six years of life. I don’t want another one to leave me. I’ve seen too many of my four legged friends cross over I can’t stand the thought of another one leaving me. I know I’m being selfish but I can’t help it. I adore Bob, as to many others. There really are no words to describe how upset I am over the thought of losing Bob.

Please keep Bob in your prayers. Maybe he’ll miraculously gain enough weight to appease my worried mind. I know, I’m in denial but I can’t help it. Just the thought of losing Bob has me upset. When dad mentioned that Queen was off, I worried about her but knew that if she were to cross over now I wouldn’t be that upset. She’s 30 something so I’ll be sad to let her go but not completely surprised or upset by the thought. Bob is a total shock to me even though I’ve known in the back of my mind that Bob won’t last as long as the others. Why can’t he last until he’s 30 like Queen?

So now I’m back to painful worrying over my babies. I spent all last summer and fall worrying about Ace. I guess this spring, summer, and fall I’ll be worried about Bob and Queen. I guess that’s what happens when you take in older horses and run a retirement farm. It’s just so painful.

Welcome Sam!

Welcome Sam! Sam has now been at Borderlands for a little over 48 hours. He’s adjusting to the routine pretty quick (even with me throwing off the normal schedule by taking a sick day).

On Sunday evening, we went to the Winfred area to pick up Sam. The previous owners had Sam out munching on some grass. The first picture is of Sam before I had the chance to put a brush to him to help shed him out. He had a few tufts of winter fur still and I was itching to get to it!

As they led Sam to the trailer, you could tell he was depressed. I’ve done some research and found that horses typically mourn for three days when they lose their friend. Sam’s buddy had been euthanized that Thursday. It hadn’t been a full three days when we picked up Sam. He seemed a little downtrodden at first until he realized there were horses in the trailer (Rain and King). There was a bit of whinnying back and forth between the three horses. I could tell right away that Sam was less depressed knowing there were horses near and he seemed a bit more relaxed.

I unloaded King and Rain so that I could load Sam in to the front of the trailer. I think there’s a bit more room in the front and it’s more protected from the wind. Oh what I would give for a nice enclosed slant load trailer.

Sam loaded like a gem. I put one trailer tie on him and he stood there with no problems. I then loaded King and Rain. There was a bit of pawing from both Sam and King but they both have that bad habit. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to cure either of them from pawing. But I guess I’d rather they paw instead of kick, rear, and tear apart the trailer.

Once the boys were loaded into the trailer, we hopped in and headed back home. It was dark by the time we got home. I backed the trailer in close to the smaller pen where Sam would go. I didn’t want to take the chance of someone spooking or getting upset out in the open.

I did some switching earlier in the week to get Brego accustomed to the big herd. I had to pull Brego out of the big herd and then pull Dude and Chaos out of the small pen. I prefer to keep Chaos away from Bob when his best friend, Rain is gone.

I was actually surprised that Brego seemed interested in all that was going on. He used to act so moppy, I didn’t think he’d be interested in what was going on. I unloaded King and Rain and tied them to the trailer. I didn’t want to leave Sam in the trailer by himself, not knowing how he would react to being left alone. I also didn’t want to risk getting squished in the trailer by him in case he freaked out because he was alone.

Sam unloaded like a champ. I was a bit worried that he would try and turn around. I’m sure he could turn around and not get stuck but I’ve been in a trailer where a horse tried to turn around and I almost got squished. So I asked Sam if he would back out of the trailer. He did without much issue. He did get a bit hesitant when we got to the end of the trailer. He knew the end of the trailer was near and wanted to see for himself. But he did trust me enough to get him out of the trailer without any harm.

We then walked over to where Brego was standing watching all the commotion. I had to shoo Brego out of the way just to get the gate open. Normally Brego doesn’t want anything to do with other horses so I was pretty shocked that he would be up front and center watching the activities. I’m pretty happy with Brego’s progress.

I lead Sam in and took off his halter. There was a bit of nose touching, sniffing, and a few squeals here and there from Sam. But all in all, it was a pretty quiet introduction. I typically don’t introduce horses to each other 1) when I myself am just meeting them and 2) when it’s dark. I’d rather let the horse have some downtime before introducing them to a member of the herd. Unfortunately I didn’t have a choice, so I chose Brego since he’s the low man on the totem pole.

I’m still not sure who is in charge, Sam or Brego. But it does seem to be working out ok for both of them. Neither is aggressive enough to really want lead herd man. Dude, Chaos, and King stood by the small pen gate. They know better than to push since the electric is up and running. I’m tired of horses pushing on the fence. So there wasn’t much interaction from the big herd.

So Sunday night was pretty exciting. Monday afternoon I went out and brushed Sam down. He seemed a bit standoffish and didn’t really feel comfortable with me grooming him down. But I was SO itching to get his winter coat off. He looked a million times better after jus t a quick grooming. He’s still too thin for my liking but my goal is to get him fattened up as quick as can be.

I did grain Sam Monday night with regular sweet feed and soy meal. He devoured it. I was rather pleased that he would be willing to nicker to me when he saw me with the grain. He did the same thing last night when I brought the food. I’m hoping he’s not associating me with some bad memories or associating me with his world changing completely. He has nickered to me a couple of times during the day yesterday. I did get a chance to groom him down again yesterday. He seemed a bit more relaxed Tuesday when I groomed him. I also put bug stuff in all the horses’s ears since the nats are out and biting like crazy. All of the horses are getting eaten alive by the nats.

I know Sam has only been here for two full days but he’s really taken a spot in my heart. He’s such a sweet old guy. I can see it in his eyes that he’s confused and still a bit depressed by losing his buddy. I can only hope that he buddies up to Brego at some point. I’m hoping that I can get out tonight and do some grooming on him some more. He’s looking a little tough. I hope he’s not going to be a hard keeper. Bob is my hard keeper and I struggle with his weight loss every day. Every time I see Bob I want to cry he looks so terrible. I’m not sure how I’ll handle a second hard keeper. My hope is that Sam just needs a few groceries and TLC to pull him out of his depression and to gain back some of his weight.

I’ll keep everyone posted on Sam’s progress. Here are a few pics of Sam that I took on Monday, a little less than 24 hours after arriving at Borderlands.

Love you Sam the Man!

Franklin Trail Ride

Yesterday was a good day, if not overly long. We started the day running late. I couldn’t get myself out of bed like I’d wanted. It was the Franklin Trail Ride. I had planned on riding Rain and King before the ride but never got around to it. The week before the ride was super busy and I didn’t get a chance to ride on the weekend. I prefer to pre-ride the horses before a ride to work the kinks out.

Sunday morning, I went out and did chores as normal and caught Rain and King. It’s not so easy to catch either one of them so there was a bit of a standoff between myself and King for a few minutes. But as always, he caved. I’m learning to really keep my zen on these horses. They can’t get the better of me.

I saddled up Rain and loaded both up. We headed up to Madison for the ride. We drove past the trail head to get to mom and dad’s. Dad had warned me the day before that Queen has been off her feed. So I was anxious to check her out while Dad saddled up King.

From a distance, Queen looked fine. She and Babe both needed a good grooming. They still had their heavy winter coats on. I figured when we got back from the ride to groom down both girls. I wanted to make sure that when I left Sunday that Queen was a bit happier.

So we loaded the horses back up and headed out to the trail head. There weren’t too many people there. Only about 20 riders total for the entire ride. The ride was on gravel so that deters most people. But I thought it was a nice ride. Rain behaved beautifully. King behaved ok, but not as great as I’d hoped. It may be that dad and I need to switch horses.

The ride was fairly short and we were done by about 4:30pm. We hung around for about an hour before heading back to mom and dad’s. We unsaddled the horses. When we turned around to go back the last two miles, Rain worked himself up into a tizzy. So when I pulled the saddle off he had sweat marks everywhere. I wish I could have given him a bath.

I then decided that I would go and baby Queen for a little while. I started grooming her down and got at least one layer of winter fur off her. Her mood did seem to improve while I groomed her. She really is a people horse and prefers to be handled at least once a day if not more than that. But I think she’s also not feeling well so I may need to come up with another solution. Improve her spirits and maybe she’ll feel better to eat. But we’ll see. I have a plan.

After I groomed her down, I decided to halter her up and lead her out into some of the lush grass. She can’t really be on grass a lot but I thought 10 minutes of grass might cheer her up. So I pulled her out and left her to munch. I went over to Babe and brushed her down too. I left about half a horse on the ground from all her winter fur. Babe really seemed to enjoy the grooming. She looks fantastic for coming out of this winter. I’ve never had her for a winter and she looks better now than when we first got her! Makes me happy!

I went back after grooming Babe and did a bit more grooming on Queen. The more loving on Queen the better. After a little bit, I pulled Queen back into her dry lot and fed her a treat. Maybe it was just my imagination but it did seem like her spirits were a little bit higher. I think I want to try some probiotics on her and see if that helps too. Since she’s not actually at Borderlands it’s a bit hard for me to pamper her and make sure she’s being treated like a Queen (no pun intended). So I’m going to have to call mom and dad up and change the care instructions on Queen.

After grooming the girls down, I loaded Rain and King and headed up to Winfred to pick up Sam. Sam came home on Sunday. WELCOME HOME SAM! I’ll blog about Sam in a little while. I want to get some pics of him too. I’m a bit upset that he’s so thin but I guess I can’t say much since Bob looks just as bad if not worse.

But to quickly sum it up, we loaded Sam up in the trailer (with a few head bonks) and then unloaded him in with Brego. I think Brego and Sam will get along just fine. I still have some reservations about putting those two together but those are the best matched personalities that I could come up with last night at 10pm. After we got everyone settled in for the night it was midnight before my head hit the pillow. I woke up with a terrible cold. So hopefully my blog entry won’t sound too confusing. And I’ll blog a bit more about Sam. Can’t wait to tell you all about Sam the Man.

Lots going on

It's been super busy these last couple of days. I'll blog more later but I'm under the weather with a darn cold. I'm afraid if I write much it won't make any sense.