Life

It's been awhile since I've posted anything. There's been a lot going on and not all of it positive so I haven't wanted to bring everyone down. I'll give a quick rundown and will most likely leave with a warning that it might be a bit before I post again. It's better to not say anything that to say what's in my head.


So last weekend we had absolutely GORGEOUS weather for Light the Night. We were very blessed to have an ad placed in the The Shopping News AND to have the Minnehahah Messenger come out during the event to interview us. If I understood it right, an article about the Sanctuary will be coming out soon. So we are very fortunate and blessed to have that opportunity to not only promote Light the Night but to also share in our cause.


We had beautiful weather for the event. And looking at the forecast for later this week (and after this past weekend) it was perfect timing. Sure we had a little bit of mud but it was gorgeous. In the end we had just under a dozen people stop out for the Luminary Walk. It was more than I had anticipated for having not really marketed it. In fact, I almost thought about pulling the plug on it. My heart just isnt' really into it right now.


I'm actually starting to think that I want to dissolve the Sanctuary again. It would simply be easier. I don't have time to promote the Sanctuary, search for grants, and figure out where the money is coming.  But partly I'm just too stressed out about other stuff to even pay much attention except to the horses who bring me solace.


It's been about a month or so that we found out some news and I'm struggling with understand the whys and hows of it all. It's all wrapped up with family stuff and I'm struggling. So my attention needs to be on family rather than promoting the Sanctuary.


It always feels like whenever I start getting some forward progress, something else stops me in my tracks. I'm getting tired of it. But I'm to the point where I need help with the online stuff. It's not the stuff anyone wants to volunteer for but that's where I need the help.


They are now saying that there's a storm coming for the end of the week. I wish there was nice weather so we could be outside. We are currently on day 6 of quarantine of the coronavirus. Not really quarantined but we are home with the kids, which also means no time to sit and think about how to move forward or to even do more than basic chores. It's nice to be home but I'm still having to work but juggle entertaining the kids while everyone is home. So by the end of the day I'm exhausted from juggling so much. I had hoped to sneak away at the end of the week for a quick vacation but with being on "social distancing" for the next week, there's no need to sneak away and there's no place I want to go. And with our family situation, I don't want to be too far from home in case we are needed.


But with the upcoming storm, I worry for the horses so I guess it's a good thing I'll be home so I can sneak out and put horses in barns or put blankets on. Spring rains are always worse than mid winter storms. Winter storms the horses don't get wet and chilled from the rain first. But with the spring rains, the rains are always cold and they get chilled before the rain turns to snow. I need to finish putting the roof on the other lean to that the tornado ripped off. It's sadly been years sitting there waiting for me to replace it. It's now higher on my list to get done. I need to look for an enclosure for the mares as Jessie can't handle the weather as well. Their previous owner had a nice set up for them but sadly our setup isnt' as nice for the mares.


So there isnt' really a lot going on but there is. Sadly, I just can't seem to put words down on paper to say anything. I'm afraid if I say too much that I'll get too snarky. It's not that we don't have good things happening but I can't seem to see the silver lining in everything at the moment.


Hopefully we hear some good news with the family stuff that's going on and the stress will be lifted. But until then, we are headed for some rocky times and I'm going to struggle. In fact, I'm most positive that I'll be silent on here. If you want to see what's going on, check out Facebook but I expect I'll be quiet on there as well until I can figure out how to actually put a more positive vibe to any post. So if you need to reach me, leave a message on our Facebook page or send me a direct message at borderlandshorsesanctuary@yahoo.com. I promise I'll respond but it might not be immediate.

5th Annual Light the Night & Luminary Walk

Saturday, March 7th we are hosting our 5th annual Light the Night! New this year will be the Luminary Walk!


Donate $5 in honor of a loved one (two-legged or four-legged) to light a luminary! This year Light the Night will take place at the Sanctuary. We are returning "home" for this fun fundraiser and want you all to experience home as well.


New this year is the Luminary Walk. Wander through the luminaries to see all those being honored. Enjoy the quiet and solitude. See the luminaries and the stars and realize how small we really are in this great big world.


Come before dark to meet all the senior horses and see where your donations are going! All proceeds go directly to caring for the horses. We want our seniors happy and sassy in their twilight years!


To donate, go to www.paypal.me/borderlands, donate through the Sanctuary's Facebook page, email us at borderlandshorsesanctuary@yahoo.com (to work out details), send a check in the mail to 26160 457th Ave Humboldt, SD 57035, or stop out on March 7th!


We hope to see you there. Thank you for letting us honor your loved ones!

Brisk Morning

A few pics from a brisk morning with temps at -16 (24 hours before it was 30 degrees).

Dude and Chaos

King

The herd enjoying alfalfa

Show Some Love

February is Show Some Love month!

We would love to have everyone Show Some Love and sponsor a senior horse.

What does sponsoring entail? If you do a monthly sponsorship, you donate $100 a month to help cover the cost of grain, supplements, farrier, vet, and any other expenses that come up for that specific horse. It'll be $1,200 for the entire year to do monthly sponsorship.

We also know that money can be tight, so if you'd rather be a partial monthly sponsor at $50, that works too! All funds go directly to care for the horse you are sponsoring.

We also know that it's not always possible to do a monthly sponsorship, so even if you want to sponsor a horse for one month, that money will go for either grain, supplements, or farrier.

In return, you'll get personal updates about "your horse" and an open invitation to come and visit him or her.

We are showcasing each horse on our Facebook page. We hope that you fall in love with at least one of the Borderlands horses!

January Recap

Life is pretty quiet at the Sanctuary right now. It's the winter blues where we feed, water, grain, and simply get through each day. We are lucky and experiencing a warm spell, which means everyone is much happier. It amazes me how grumpy everyone gets when the temps drop. I guess that should be expected. I get grumpy when the temps are subzero and we are dealing with wind chill advisories. This past weekend the temps were in the upper 30s melting a lot of the snow that came during the blizzard. Even without the sunshine, the horses seem more relaxed, which is what I prefer to see.


Everyone is staying healthy *knock on wood*! But it's been a bit since I've posted about any of the horses so we'll do a quick rundown of everyone, their moods, and what they are up to (which isn't much).

• Good Friday Jessie - she's putting on weight and demanding her food. It's hard to tell how much weight she's gained but if you compare her first pictures to now, there's been at last a little bit of weight gain. We are keeping a close eye on her and will continue to see how she fairs.
• Diavlo - He's still the very calm and mellow horse, as long as he's near Jessie. He has terrible ground manners and displayed those during the blizzard when we stalled them from the worst of the weather and I had to take each of the mares and him out one at a time. Otherwise, he's pretty chill and just enjoying hanging out. I think he needs a bit more exercise because his sheath is a bit swollen at the moment. Nothing to bother him, but it comes with the cold and old age.
• Mayhem - She's been off lately. I can't tell if she's not feeling well or if she's just tired. She rests more than most horses but she's also younger and pretty content with the two older horses. So we are keeping a close eye on her. Weather changes of any kind seem to send her into a tailspin of discomfort.
• Dude - As long as the nice weather holds, his hips and back don't bother him. But the minute there's a bite to the air and the temps drop, he's back to not feeling well. We use Buteless every evening in his grain but it only helps so much. He's a pretty stoic character and because he's the lead gelding, won't show pain but I know the colder temperatures really bother him. I'm excited for spring so that he can be comfortable again.
• Jim - He's maintaining weight but I'm afraid he's going to be a hard keeper the rest of the winter. We've added weight booster but may need to increase is grain ration. For 32, I guess that's what we should expect. He's always at the door waiting for his grain, and very excited to see me show up for nightly grain. Otherwise, he's his grumpy old self.
• Zeke - Is enjoying retirement to its fullest. I have never seen another horse enjoy retirement like Zeke. He's fat, lazy, and oh so very happy, which is all I can ask for.
• Brego - With a short winter coat, we are keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn't get chilled. He's always watching for me and keeping an eye on me when I am around. I know he's telling me something but I'm not sure what it is. He sometimes becomes a hard keeper around this time of year so we may start him on nightly grain. But he's telling me something and I still need to figure it out.
• Maverick - Is bored out of his mind. Lightening keeps him on his toes. I know he'll be glad for spring and summer so we can wander the pastures and not feel cooped up. So far he hasn't destroyed anything major but there's still plenty of winter left.
• King - His feet keep him from moving around very fast but he's happiest when the ground isn't so hard. He wasn't too thrilled when he was blanketed during the last blizzard but didn't seem to mind after it was on him. He's happiest eating right next to Jim.
• Rain - Is full of sass. We still keep a close eye on him when the temperatures drop to make sure he doesn't get chilled. He's super fat this winter so hopefully that will help. I debated on pulling him out of semi retirement but decided he deserves to rest and enjoy these golden years so no drill team for him.
• Chaos - Is now representing Borderlands when we are riding at Dakota Thunder Mounted Drill team practice and performances. We'll see how he does, if he gets to actually perform. He's not interested in being a speed horse but he's a perfect role model for Borderlands.
• Tommy - Is ready for summer and being out on pasture. He's very annoyed with Skippy as of late and would prefer to have some space away from his pasture mate. He need a bit of time out of his pen to get some exercise to help with his cranky attitude.
• Skippy - Is also ready to get out and stretch his legs. He also needs to go on a diet but we haven't started it yet (don't tell him!)

So that's how the horses have been over the past few weeks. We have a fun event that will be on the books very soon and hope to announce it this week. We'd love for everyone to participate in one form of another!


Happy February everyone!

National Dress Your Pet Day

Yesterday was National Dress Your Pet Day.




While we don't typically dress up the horses, we do bundle them up in blankets. They have a full wardrobe of blankets to keep the chill off of them during the long, cold South Dakota winters.


We'd love to see your pets dressed up. Head over to our Facebook page and post a picture of your dressed up pet in the comments of our National Dress Your Pet Day post.


https://www.facebook.com/BorderlandsHorseSanctuary/?ref=bookmarks

Senior Horse Texting

If senior horses could text: