I have to admit that Christmas was a blur this year. The poor herd got the short end of my vacation. I didn't get a chance to play with anyone but did spend a lot of good family quality time (which was a must have this holiday season).
With the new year fast approaching, I've been thinking about my new year's resolution. I won't share it just yet...it's pretty much the same every year but maybe if I write it down, I'll actually work towards those goals.
This morning when I went to feed the mares, Mayhem wandered up to me. Because I've been doing evening chores in the dark (starting at 7pm), I haven't messed with Mayhem. I've only had time to throw some hay over the fence and keep trucking along. I guess Mayhem was bored with the old mares and wanted to see what I was up to. She is such a doll. We are truley blessed to have her at Borderlands.
The weatherman is calling for another storm Wed night through Friday morning, starting with freezing rain and switching to snow. I'm not sure how to prepare for this storm. Freezing rain is not good for the oldsters but I don't want to throw on blankets. Even though the blankets may be weaterproof I dont' want heavy old blankets sitting on their backs. I need to pay close attention to the weather the next few days so I can get my act together and decide how I want to handle this storm. I have a feeling that starting in January the temps are going to drop and we're going to get a bit more snow. I'm not ready for it so I better get myself prepared.
We had the most beautiful scenery the last few days with the frozen fog but I didn't get a chance to take any pictures. Once again, another blog post with just my ramblings. At some point I'll get better about posting pictures of the herd more often.
Until then, I best get back to work. On the bright side, the days are getting longer (it's very hard to tell but it's happening!) Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and that Santa was good to them.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas
Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas.
From our herd to yours....Merry Christmas.Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Christmas Countdown
I can hardly believe we are only a few short days away from Christmas. This Friday will be a celebration all in itself! Mayhem will turn six months old! She really has become an amazing little girl. I can't wait to see how she grows and learns. She stands patiently to be haltered and tied and she leads better than some of the oldsters.
I am starting to see ads again for cheap and free horses. Of course most of them are too far away from me to pick up. I'm also afraid I am maxed out although there will always be space for an emergency one in need. I can't get the two that ran through the Mitchell sale last Saturday out of my head. They both went as No Value. I need to work with the auctions to see if the No Value horses can start coming home with me so I can put some time into them and adopt them out. My problem is that I picked a name out for the weanling. I know better than to come up with names before they step hoof on the place because it breaks my heart when it doesn't work out. But there will always be another one.
I need to look on the bright side. With the help of my devoted sister, we are getting much farther along with the sanctuary. Of course, two brains are better than one. I'm great at coming up with ideas but I'm terrible with the follow through.
Another storm is predicted to blow through tomorrow. I decided to work from home in the morning tomorrow and take the afternoon off to prepare for Christmas. It will be nice to have some time off to actually enjoy the horses (and get ready for yet another storm). Hopefully this storm won't turn into a blizzard.
The wind was terrible last night so I threw Rain's blanket on him. He didn't seem to mind. Rain stood perfectly still while I threw his blanket on and adjusted, even with Maverick picking on him. He tends to hang out in the leanto when the wind blows but I wanted to make sure he had an extra layer just in case he did get pushed out and while he was eating. I sleep better knowing that "the kids" are happy and warm.
Not much else to report at this point. Hope everyone is getting their last minute shopping done. But don't forget the true meaning of Christmas. And if I forget, try to sneak out on Christmas Eve at midnight to hear the animals talk. :-)
I am starting to see ads again for cheap and free horses. Of course most of them are too far away from me to pick up. I'm also afraid I am maxed out although there will always be space for an emergency one in need. I can't get the two that ran through the Mitchell sale last Saturday out of my head. They both went as No Value. I need to work with the auctions to see if the No Value horses can start coming home with me so I can put some time into them and adopt them out. My problem is that I picked a name out for the weanling. I know better than to come up with names before they step hoof on the place because it breaks my heart when it doesn't work out. But there will always be another one.
I need to look on the bright side. With the help of my devoted sister, we are getting much farther along with the sanctuary. Of course, two brains are better than one. I'm great at coming up with ideas but I'm terrible with the follow through.
Another storm is predicted to blow through tomorrow. I decided to work from home in the morning tomorrow and take the afternoon off to prepare for Christmas. It will be nice to have some time off to actually enjoy the horses (and get ready for yet another storm). Hopefully this storm won't turn into a blizzard.
The wind was terrible last night so I threw Rain's blanket on him. He didn't seem to mind. Rain stood perfectly still while I threw his blanket on and adjusted, even with Maverick picking on him. He tends to hang out in the leanto when the wind blows but I wanted to make sure he had an extra layer just in case he did get pushed out and while he was eating. I sleep better knowing that "the kids" are happy and warm.
Not much else to report at this point. Hope everyone is getting their last minute shopping done. But don't forget the true meaning of Christmas. And if I forget, try to sneak out on Christmas Eve at midnight to hear the animals talk. :-)
Monday, December 20, 2010
Vacation Pictures
Thought I would share just a few pictures from our vacation back in August. I know the Black Hills are covered in snow right now but it helps to look back at the beautiful scenery. It gets me through the daily grind when the ground is covered in snow. Hope you enjoy.
Panic Before Christmas
Starting to go into panic mode. There's only a few short days before Christmas and I'm still a month behind! I may not blog much more until after Christmas.
Thanks to my wonderful sister, I didn't have to go alone to the Mitchell Open Consignment Horse Sale this past Saturday. Only about 100 total but only about two no saled. I'll talk a little bit more about it later if I can ever get caught back up.
Until then, the countdown begins!
Thanks to my wonderful sister, I didn't have to go alone to the Mitchell Open Consignment Horse Sale this past Saturday. Only about 100 total but only about two no saled. I'll talk a little bit more about it later if I can ever get caught back up.
Until then, the countdown begins!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Lots of Action
The last few days have been absolutely insane. I realized earlier in the week I absolutely had to do something for Babe. Rabbit kept picking on her and Babe was getting pushed away from her food. I do NOT tolerate anyone picking on a blind horse.
So, Tuesday night I pulled Rabbit out of her pen with the mares and put her in the barn. I proceeded to halter Mayhem, who has only been haltered and led less than a half dozen times, and led her in to the mare pasture. I was nervous but knew it had to be done. Right as I was haltering horses, it started to snow. The sky was so beautiful, it lifted my spirits. And then to watch Mayhem interact with the mares, was even more beautiful. Queen took to Mayhem right away. Babe was a bit spooked thinking it was still Rabbit but she's slowly coming around.
Babe has since adjusted to Mayhem and the three are never very far apart from each other. It's rather cute. Mayhem looks so small next to those old mares. She was bonding with Tommy who flew into hystarics when I pulled Mayhem out. Apparently Tommy and Mayhem had become best friends. There was still the bond between the ponies but the bond between Tommy and Mayhem was much stronger. Apparently Tommy took a strong liking to Mayhem.
I did have to put Rabbit in with the ponies, much to their dismay. They tried to touch noses but in their haste and excitement they rushed her, spooking Rabbit to the point of not wanting anyone around. Rabbit has since settled down but she is for sure the boss in that pen. The ponies constantly run and play and she just watches with an annoyed eye at their shenanigans. I was worried that their size would be a hinderance but they seem to be doing just fine with Rabbit.
On Thursday morning as I was finishing up morning chores (in the dark), a piece of hay went into my eye. I couldnt', for the life of me, get the darn piece of hay out. So I finished chores one eyed (and one handed) and headed in to the house. We had to wait until the clinic opened at 7:30am. I had to wait two hours before having the piece of hay removed from my eye. And for those that didn't know (which I didn't know), chemicals on hay (or possibly hay itself) can dialate your eye. So for the rest of the day, my eye was dialated. As we were driving to the clinic, we saw a coyote just to the north of the farm. At first I thought it might be a deer or a dog. Unfortunately it was a coyote. We have a pack of coyotes in this area. One coyote doesn't bother me too much, but the pack does. Having small ponies, a baby who will be six months old a week from today, and having a blind mare makes me very nervous when I hear and now SEE coyotes.
Luckily last night and this morning, chores were quiet and easy. I am going to start teaching Mayhem to stand tied. I haltered and tied her to a fence post last night while the old mares ate their alfalfa. Mayhem stood patiently the entire time, even with me coming and going. She is the easiest horse to work with at Borderlands. And to think, I originally wasn't going to take her. I was only interested in Rabbit. But Mayhem has turned out to be an easy one to handle. She just blows my mind every time I play with her. She patiently waited for me to untie her and she walked away to investigate what the mares were doing. I'm so glad that I didn't miss the opportunity to have Mayhem in our lives. She will be a spokes horse to show people that just because you were born a certain color doesn't mean you aren't worth ten million dollars or more!
So, Tuesday night I pulled Rabbit out of her pen with the mares and put her in the barn. I proceeded to halter Mayhem, who has only been haltered and led less than a half dozen times, and led her in to the mare pasture. I was nervous but knew it had to be done. Right as I was haltering horses, it started to snow. The sky was so beautiful, it lifted my spirits. And then to watch Mayhem interact with the mares, was even more beautiful. Queen took to Mayhem right away. Babe was a bit spooked thinking it was still Rabbit but she's slowly coming around.
Babe has since adjusted to Mayhem and the three are never very far apart from each other. It's rather cute. Mayhem looks so small next to those old mares. She was bonding with Tommy who flew into hystarics when I pulled Mayhem out. Apparently Tommy and Mayhem had become best friends. There was still the bond between the ponies but the bond between Tommy and Mayhem was much stronger. Apparently Tommy took a strong liking to Mayhem.
I did have to put Rabbit in with the ponies, much to their dismay. They tried to touch noses but in their haste and excitement they rushed her, spooking Rabbit to the point of not wanting anyone around. Rabbit has since settled down but she is for sure the boss in that pen. The ponies constantly run and play and she just watches with an annoyed eye at their shenanigans. I was worried that their size would be a hinderance but they seem to be doing just fine with Rabbit.
On Thursday morning as I was finishing up morning chores (in the dark), a piece of hay went into my eye. I couldnt', for the life of me, get the darn piece of hay out. So I finished chores one eyed (and one handed) and headed in to the house. We had to wait until the clinic opened at 7:30am. I had to wait two hours before having the piece of hay removed from my eye. And for those that didn't know (which I didn't know), chemicals on hay (or possibly hay itself) can dialate your eye. So for the rest of the day, my eye was dialated. As we were driving to the clinic, we saw a coyote just to the north of the farm. At first I thought it might be a deer or a dog. Unfortunately it was a coyote. We have a pack of coyotes in this area. One coyote doesn't bother me too much, but the pack does. Having small ponies, a baby who will be six months old a week from today, and having a blind mare makes me very nervous when I hear and now SEE coyotes.
Luckily last night and this morning, chores were quiet and easy. I am going to start teaching Mayhem to stand tied. I haltered and tied her to a fence post last night while the old mares ate their alfalfa. Mayhem stood patiently the entire time, even with me coming and going. She is the easiest horse to work with at Borderlands. And to think, I originally wasn't going to take her. I was only interested in Rabbit. But Mayhem has turned out to be an easy one to handle. She just blows my mind every time I play with her. She patiently waited for me to untie her and she walked away to investigate what the mares were doing. I'm so glad that I didn't miss the opportunity to have Mayhem in our lives. She will be a spokes horse to show people that just because you were born a certain color doesn't mean you aren't worth ten million dollars or more!
A Rescue Story
For those that follow horse rescue, you may have heard of the New Holland Horse Sale, which is held every Monday.
Project Sage (a New York based rescue, headed by a 20 year old woman) rescued five horses. Here is her story. I thought it would be good for everyone to read:
http://www.projectsagehorserescue.org/id57.html
Project Sage (a New York based rescue, headed by a 20 year old woman) rescued five horses. Here is her story. I thought it would be good for everyone to read:
http://www.projectsagehorserescue.org/id57.html
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