Recap

Where to start. Last Friday and Saturday was the Irene Rodeo. Even thought I couldn't ride, I hauled Zeke and some of the other horses down (gotta represent the drill team!) I had a blast, even thought I couldn't be on the back of Zeke (at least Zeke was out there to represent Borerlands). I know it has nothing to do with the rescue but it was nice to get away even for an overnighter and enjoy everyone's company. Luckily the weather was still half way decent out. I'd already gotten caught by the hot weather earlier in the week and had recovered from being sick. Unfortunately, Mike had the same experience Friday night that I had. It's no fun being sick when you're not at home.

When we finally got home Saturday night, who should be out wandering around but Mayhem. I was so exhausted but had to round her up and put her in the Timeout Pen. She's been there ever since because I haven't had the time or energy to check the fence and figure out where she escaped. She definitely fits her name.

Starting last Sunday, we had super high temps. I don't even remember what the heat index was. All I know is that the heat took its toll on everyone. Even this Friday we had temps over 100 and even higher heat index. I couldn't be out in the hot weather so I couldn't even pamper the horses like I normally do. I hate not being out with the horses to give them baths and treats while they suffer through the heat. Instead, I had to hide in the house until the heat went down just enough. Unfortunately, I still couldn't do too much even after it cooled down a little. I'm now reverting back to doing chores back in the dark.

The heat is taking its toll on the horses too. I realized earlier this week that we are going to lose Thor and Queen. The heat has been too hard on them and they've dropped a ton of weight. I'm not sure what I can do, if there's anything at all. For now, I'll try to make them feel comfortable and see if grain and beet pulp will help perk the up. But I'm coming to the realization that we will lose them this fall. I'm already dreading the day I have to make that phone call. But for now, I'll simply enjoy their presences and take one day at a time.

This morning when I went to let Queen out to wander the yard, I thought she was dead. She was stretched out at the bottom of the hill. From my vantage point, I couldn't tell if she was alive or not (I couldn't see if she was breathing). And then she twitched her withers. That girl is going to be the death of me yet.

I can't remember the last time we had rain. The pastures are drying up fast. The hot temps aren't helping any. I'm not sure what we are going to do. The big pasture is about done for and the mare pasture is completely done. I've been throwing hay to some just to make sure that they have something to eat. I've had one month of not having to touch hay. I'm very worried that we will have to start feeding hay soon. I have no idea what the prices of hay will be like but I'm afraid it's going to skyrocket. 

I would move the mares to the other pasture but we lost the other pasture due to the accident back in February. I've been too sick to work on getting the other pasture ready so now we can't use it. We did buy a few extra corral panels so I might be able to put up some panels and temporary electric fence but I can't be outside even when it's in the 80s. My health and this heat are making it absolutey impossible to do much expect the bare minimum.

I need to take Rabbit up to Madison for the rest of the summer. Mom and Dad's pasture can hold one horse for the rest of the summer (or at least that's our hope). I hate only taking one horse up but Rabbit has been beating up Queen. I'm also tired of Mayhem picking up Rabbit's bad habits. She was getting herd bound so it's been nice to keep Mayhem separate. But I'd prefer that Mayhem pick up Queen's habits instead of Rabbits. It's going to be an adventure getting Rabbit in a trailer. She's not an easy one to load so who knows how long it'll take to get her loaded. But if she's on a lush pasture, there's at least one less horse I have to worry about.

We are also almost out of round bales. Last October we bought 39 round bales and hauled them home (three at a time...yes it was painfuly slow). We are going to have to go in search of more round bales for Thor and Babe. Unfortunately, we need to find a few bales fast. We have one remaining bale and I will be out of town for a few days the first part of August and that's when the bales will run out.

A good friend of Borderlands is hosting a trail ride July 21st during the Colton Jubilee Days. It's a free ride but taking donations. Those donations are going to Borderlands. We are truley blessed and honored that our friend would even consider us. Again, I won't be able to ride but I'll be there to happily talk about the sanctuary. I was thinking of hauling Tommy and Skippy since they are easy to approach and have better manners than Bo. I want to keep the oldsters at home to keep their stress level down but I'd like to have someone four-legged there to represent Borderlands.  I'll be sitting in the shade and if anyone wants to join me, I'd be honored. I'm sure I'll put another plug in for this fun event.

I also want to thank S and E for coming out in the heat today to check fence. It's been too hot for me to do anything but minimal chores so I haven't had a chance to check and find out where Mayhem wiggled her way out of the pasture. S and E found the spot and fixed it for me. Those two are my guardian angels! They also set up some corral panels so that I can run Queen, Rabbit, and Mayhem in the lawn between the hay shed and the red shed. There's not alot of grass but there's more than what's in their pasture right now. I have a bit of fencing to do tonight after it cools down and then I'll open up the gate for them to wander tomorrow morning while I'm at the paying job. I'm sure they'll have it eaten down in less than a week but I'd rather have dirt for lawn with happy horses then a lawn that looks manicured (hahahha...sorry, the thought of an acreage with a manicured lawn doesn't seem feasible to me).

I am considering begging the neighbor to let me rent his pasture. It would beat having to throw hay. I really want to keep what hay we have left for later this summer/fall. It would help cut down on the cost of this winters hay (considering I'm still saving up to pay for last year's hay). I'm always a year behind it seems. But the boys were at the neighbor's last year and they seemed to enjoy being over there. Hopefully we can run the horses over there for a month but we'll see. I may have to do some serious begging but at this point, I'll be happy to see the horses in a decent pasture instead of one that's almost done.

I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting but thought I'd give you a quick rundown of what we've been up to for more than the past week. I may not post much this week either. The paying job has me hopping so there' not much time for anything other than work, chores, work, and a little bit of sleep.  We are still here so if you need to get ahold of us, just leave a comment on our Facebook page, or swing by. I'm always up for a good chat (as long as we go inside where there's air conditioning). :-)

We Are Still Here

It seems another week has flown by. By the time I finish slogging through the paying job, care for the horses, and concoct some meal, I'm too exhausted to lift a finger to post anything. We've also been combating high heat indexes and just plain high temps. Mike and I were both caught off guard by the heat, which made us sick. Luckily it didn't last long and we weren't both sick at the same time.  I've been avoiding going out during the hottest temperatures. I feel bad for the herd but with my health, I can't risk it.

I have lots of stuff bouncing around in my head that I'd like to share but it'll have to wait until later. I just wanted to post to say that we are around, although I don't seem to be getting anything done these days other than keeping my head above water at the paying job. I'll try to post more this weekend to fill you all in on what we've been doing, and things we are looking forward to doing.

Stay cool.

Beauty Haven

Please check out Beauty Haven's Farm and Equine Rescue. They are dealing with a rescue that really touches the heart. I'm in tears after reading what this poor mare went through. If you can donate, this is very reputable rescue.

http://bhfer.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/blind-mare-spirit-update-10-pm/

Prayers on the Wind

Our hearts and prayers go out to the people and pets in the wake and path of the Colorado fires and the Florida hurricane (and subsequent flooding). Once again I count my blessings for the safety and well-being of the people and horses of Borderlands. I cannot fathom the stress everyone must be under. I’ve tried to put myself in their shoes these past few hours and can’t even comprehend what I would do.

It does make me think more about establishing and implementing an emergency evacuation plan if Mother Nature decided to wreak havoc in our area (besides the drought we seem to be experiencing). With 17 horses, 3 dogs, and 3 barn cats, I’m not sure how we would get everyone out if officials told us we only had minutes to evacuate. Luckily we have two trailers and trucks that could haul horses in a pinch but not everyone would fit.

I thank my lucky stars that we don’t deal with hurricanes, much flooding (at least not in our area although we are in a low area but nowhere near a river), fire (although it is possible but difficult when surrounded by beans and corn), or earthquakes. We typically only deal with drought, blizzards, freezing temperatures, and tornados, which are hard to plan and prepare for. But it is better to be prepared. I’m guessing that my Type A kicks in when disasters are discussed or the thought of disaster is in the air (even if it’s only on the news).

My second fear, after the disasters are averted, is what will happen to the animals afterwards. I’ve already seen ads stating people are dumping horses because of the drought in Colorado and that the horses coming from there are thin. We are going into a drought and I’m trying to figure out how to make the pastures last longer (and am finding it difficult to come up with a plan). I’m thankful that we did spray and fertilize. I can’t imagine what we would be dealing with otherwise. Unfortunately, it’s only the end of June and we are running out of pasture (or at least it seems that way). I did feel three little sprinkles (and followed a little rain cloud on my way to the paying job). But we are in desperate need of rain if we want the pastures to hold out until the end of August. Although, I don’t want to complain about not having rain when there are fires blazing and lives in danger.

I wish there was more we could do for the people experiencing such devastation. The only thing I know how to do is pray for their safety and well-being.

Venting Session

I think I just need to vent for a couple minutes. If you don't want to read my rants, just ignore me and wait for another post.


I'm frustrated, angry, and disappointed. Awhile ago I was contacted about taking in two older warriors. With my health at the time and my current state of health now, I knew that I couldn't take on any more. I know I lamented over not being able to take them and was afraid for them. Just the other day I saw that at least one of the warriors the owner is keeping (at least until this fall), while the other is being offered for sale.


I always keep an eye on the classifieds to see what prices are like and what types of horses are being offered for sale. I realize I can't save them all (and at this point save any of them). But at least I'm staying abreast of prices and horses for sale. I refuse to stick my head in the sand and ignore the facts.

A few weeks ago, I saw an ad for an older mare that deserved a good retirement. She wasn't far from us and I contemplated contacting the owners even knowing that it would be beyond difficult for us to bring her in. But she tugged at the heartstrings. When I went back to find the ad, it had been pulled. I kept my fingers crossed that she'd found a good retirement home.

Much to my dismay, she didn't.

Instead, the person that contacted me to take those two warriors was the one who took this horse. It's not a permanent home. She'll be used up and then tossed aside like so many others. It angers me right down to my core. Why are you dumping these other horses and yet going and picking up more. They dont' fit your program?!? Then fix the issue with the horse instead of dumping them. It's called an education. If you don't know how do to something, you learn. And for horses, you have someone some in. Sure it'll cost money, but then you're fixing the problem, not causing more problems.

I expect that this poor horse will work one season at this location and then be swiftly dumped this fall because who wants to feed an old horse over the winter. I remember seeing something very similar last year. A horse was given away for free and was picked up by this same person. Within less than six months, the horse disappeared. Makes me wonder if the old owners know what happened. I'm sure they were given a song and dance about how the horse will have a permenent home. My bet is that the poor horse will be tossed around and at some point dumped into the auction circuit and then the slaughter pipeline.

Anger doesn't begin to describe my hatred right now.

A horse is a luxury. A horse is expensive. A horse lives for a long time. Where is the long-term commitment that they deserve?

I'm sorry. I could vent more and get really angry but instead I'll just go. These are the types of people that make me appreciate my horses more.

Picture Night

I was so tired last night I couldn't even fall asleep. So instead I puttered through a few pictures and discovered an entire folder I hadn't looked through. I thought maybe I'd share a few of the better pictures. You may have noticed that some of the horses are wearing halters. These pictures were taken over Memorial Weekend, which is the first time the herd had been out in the pasture all spring/summer. As a precaution, I put halters on but the herd never wears halters after their first few outings into the pasture.

Bo and Zeke - Best of Friends

Where Bo goes, Zeke follows.

Rain and King. I need to keep a close eye on Rain now that the temps are into the 90s. His system was compromised at one point and I think he's prone to heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

Maverick, Chaos, King, Rain, and Dude. Maverick used to have the most gorgeous mane but the cockleburs from last year ruined it. Hopefully this year, his mane will grow back. For now, it's all over the place.

Brego

Brego

One Week Later

I’ve lost track of time. I’d like to say that I went on a vacation and unplugged from all the un-necessaries in the world. But I didn’t. The paying job has me jumping so much I barely have time to breathe, let alone get anything else done. Add to that I’ve been sicker than a dog and going to doctor’s appointments this week. It doesn’t leave much time to do much but check on the horses and fall asleep for a few short hours to only wake up and do it all over again the next day.

Last night while out doing chores in the late evening, I realized Queen and Thor might not make another year with us. That thought has me completely and utterly devastated. Add to that my pure exhaustion, I simply can’t take much more. It was all I could do to hold back the tears. It’s a struggle to get Queen to eat her beet pulp, which is the one thing that will pack on the pounds. After this coming weekend, I need to reset some fences and put Queen in a different spot for a few weeks to see if that helps any.

Last night, we drove home a different way and I saw Queen down. Queen doesn’t simply lie down (although she started to lie down more when Flower was injured). I was worried Queen was colicing again. I think instead it was the flies. For some reason the flies absolutely love her. They torment her like no other horse. Maybe if she had a long tail it would help but I don’t think so. I ended up digging out a brand new fly sheet, some old fly leg wraps, and a mask. Mike and I got everything situated on her so that it fit but pulled it off since the flies weren’t bad. I had to go out this morning and get her covered up. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that everything stays on and that she can get some relief from the flies. The flies are vicious this year. Even with a steady wind, the flies seem to stick around and bite hard. If I can’t get the weight back on her, we’ll be looking at putting her down in the fall. She’s already thinner than I like.

We haven’t had enough rain lately so the pastures are starting to burn up. Queen needs grass to gain weight. If I can get her interested in beet pulp again, she may have a fighting chance to at least put some weight back on. But I’m worried. I know she’s at least 34 years old and I can’t keep her going forever, but she holds a special place in my heart and right now with all that’s going on, I need her more than ever before.

Thor too is going downhill rapidly. I didn’t realize it until last night. I’m starting him on beet pulp too. He definitely enjoys his grain and beet pulp so hopefully I get him to pack on a few extra pounds. It could be that the hay we have for him isn’t any good any more. We have two more bales from last fall and then we’ll have to go in search of different rounds. (sigh….more money). But maybe with better hay and beet pulp, Thor will pick up the weight again. It just seems like he’s been handed an unfair hand in life. While rummaging around to find the flysheet for Queen, I ran across Bob’s old flysheet. It’s all stretched out and no good but I thought I would throw it on Thor just to see if it would work. It doesn’t but something is better than nothing. It’s not like he can do too much more to it. I’d rather that we use the fly sheet up until there’s absolutely no use before I simply toss it away. Bob stretched it out when he wore it and I expect that Thor will tear it to shreds but I don’t care. If it keeps them comfortable, that’s all that matters.

We are supposed to be in the 90s this week. I need to get out and shave Babe. She still hasn’t lost her spring coat. We tried shaving Babe last year but ended up giving her a bath beforehand in 100% humidity. That was a mistake. She never dried out and what little we were able to shave off made her look silly. So hopefully this week we will be able to get out there and get her more comfortable. I can’t handle the heat right now so I have to wait until the sun practically sets before going out to do chores. So I’m pretty limited on what I can get done in the short hour of daylight I have left before I crash and burn from exhaustion.

I also realized this morning that I missed Mayhem’s birthday. She had her two year old birthday yesterday! I need to get her separated from Rabbit. She’s back to picking up some bad habits from Rabbit and I don’t want that. I’m just trying to figure out where everyone should go.

With all this heat and absolutely no rain, the pastures are drying up faster than I’ve ever seen. I’m thankful that we got out into the pasture this spring to spray and fertilize. But with no rain, there won’t be anything left come mid-July. Except for a few days here and there, I pull the big herd off the pasture every night so they aren’t on 24x7 (much to their dismay). The big herd is so good. They typically come up when I holler or, like last night, were up for a drink and I was able to lock them in the drylot. They weren’t too thrilled but I don’t think they held a grudge. I was too sick over the weekend to even check on them so when I saw them last night, it seemed like they were all happy to see me. Maybe I’m reading too much into; but I do know I miss seeing them.

I’m not sure what this week will bring. We have to get ready for the Irene rodeo this coming weekend. If the temps don’t wipe me out, I’ll try to post more. But as it stands, we aren’t doing too much (even though there’s a ton of stuff that needs to be done). I’m trying to take it easy, which means the horses pretty much get a break from me other than a pat on the back, some flyspray, and a handful of grain.