Tip Tuesday - Storing Hay

It's haying season and many are thinking hay. It's also time to think about fires. No one ever wants to think about hay and fires but it's a good idea to have an understanding of what can happen.


So today's #TipTuesday infographic is about storing hay and fire.


Personally at the Sanctuary, we are trying to schedule a time to pick up our ordered hay. I'm hoping with hit having sat out for a few weeks, that there's less risk of fire. We've already had one fire on the place, we don't ever need another.


Here's to a successful haying season.

Tornado

Nothing like walking out of the house with your kids in the car, looking up into the sky and spotting this....

It scared the holy bajeezus out of me! I've never seen one form. If my kids hadn't been in the car, I probably would have stayed to watch and see what and where it went. It was reported to have been on the ground for 7 minutes. I think I watched it form before it hit the ground. But with kids in the car, I decided to bolt.


In the almost 13 years we have lived here, this is only the second tornado I've seen. The first one I didn't see and didn't realize it was a tornado until afterwards. That was in 2013. We sustained damage to outbuildings that are yet to be repaired because there's been no time.


Luckily there haven't been any reports of damage from this tornado but I had no idea that we would even have severe weather yesterday.


I'll take a good old fashioned blizzard over a tornado any day. I can prepare and plan for a blizzard even if it lasts for a week. I can't plan for a tornado!

Goodbye Junior

On Friday we said goodbye to Junior. It was a fast decision but one that I've actually been dealing with for the past month or more. In truth, Junior should have crossed the Rainbow Bridge in the  middle of June or even the first of July instead of the end of July. His body was giving out even though his mind was still very much there.


The reason for the hold up had nothing to do with my wanting to hold on to him longer, funds, or anything of that sort. Sadly, it all had to do with logistics. With the vet not being able to take his body, I was left with trying to figure out how to bury him. We don't have enough land and all the fields are in crops so knowing where he would be buried and then either coming up with the funds or begging for some help was my stumbling block.


I found out Thursday that my uncle had the excavator out and he would be willing to bury Junior so I made the call to say goodbye to Junior on Friday. It was fast and really didnt' give me any time to grieve. Of course, it was a decision I knew had to be made and should have been made a month earlier so I think my  mourning period had already begun.


I'm going to miss Junior. Lace and Mayhem can't figure out what's going on. Junior was their boyfriend and herd protector and now it's just the two of them. I need to keep an eye on Lace to make sure she doesn't slip into a depression. She's a mare with every mood swing possible and she shows it. When I brought her home on Friday, you could tell she was confused and down right angry. I wish I could tell them, talk to them and explain.


As I sat there on Friday watching Junior enjoy his last dish of grain, mom and I were talking. They'd been taking care of Junior for the past two months in hopes that he'd pack on the pounds (it worked the last two years). We both agreed that Junior was an amazing horse.


We always get the horses in their golden years but always wonder what they were like in their younger years. Imagine what kind of horse they were when they were 20 years younger. I think Junior was a fantastic horse and probably did some amazing adventures in his lifetime.


Junior came to us on a very cold November day in 2014. He was known for being a hard keeper and I struggled with finding the right combination to keep his weight up. I didn't think he'd be with us for as long as he was. He was 26 when he arrived and he left us at the ripe age of 30, which is older than most that come to the Sanctuary. 4 years seems like a short time to be with us, but it's not about quantity but rather quality.


Junior didn't like a lot of horses around him. He had his reasons so we allowed him to be the one and only gelding who could be in with the mares on a constant basis. It seemed to suit him very well and the mares seemed to adore him like they he was their very own boyfriend. I think Junior thrived with being in with the mares. The few times I had to put him in with the geldings, he was uncomfortable. We always try to match horses with what best suits them and being in with the mares and not having a big crowd seemed to make him the happiest.


I'm going to miss him greatly but I will rest easy knowing that he's fat, happy, and running in lush pastures. There's no more worry about gaining weight, hip pains, or anything else that comes with old age.


I feel a little lost without Junior and Bo these days. Both were my hard keepers and kept me stressing every day. With both of them gone, I guess I'll turn my attention to the next senior that needs me. But it feels odd to not have a horse standing in the barn enjoying a meal that takes forever to eat. It's an odd feeling and almost makes me feel as though I've forgotten something.


It is amazing how quickly you get used to the quirks of the seniors and when they are no longer with, you realize how quirky they were and how much you miss it (even if it annoyed you for the years you had to deal with it).  I can't really put it into words what I'm feeling.


We will miss you Junior. I am glad we had the opportunity to open our doors and let you retire with us at the Sanctuary. Until we meet again some day.

Kat Dog Fashion in August

We have exciting news we have been anxiously waiting to share!

The Sanctuary is team up with Kat Dog Fashion (https://katdogfashions.com/) for the month of August! Kat Dog Fashion is a local business that is graciously helping out the Sanctuary for the entire month of August.

For every purchase you make for the entire month of August, Kat Dog Fashion will donate $1 to the Sanctuary!

There's so many choices to purchase items (both for your animal and yourself!) This is a great opportunity to help out a local business (local to Sioux Falls anyway) and a non-profit. I've very excited to team up with a new business and local to the area. I love supporting local businesses and I love that Kat Dog Fashion loves supporting non-profits!

So go check them out and dont' forget to purchase a few items! For every item, the Sanctuary will receive $1 and every dollar counts!

Tell your friends, tell your family, share with everyone!

https://katdogfashions.com/

Painful but Greatful

I've struggled to write this post for five months. Its' not a bad post but it's still hard. Five months ago we said goodbye to Bo, my beloved horse who we rescued from auction and who seemed to connect like no other horse.

Five months later we had to say goodbye to our other hard keeper Junior, this past Friday. The decision to put both down was very quick. But there were months of agonizing over when we should and if it was the right decision. 

There's been many sleepless nights and many tears shed over knowing when and if I was making the right decision. Although we have a Board of Directors and we discuss each horse, their overall care, and the decision to euthanize, ultimately it's my decision. It's a difficult decision and I hate making it but that's part of the criteria for this position.

It's always difficult to say goodbye, to make that decision and to follow through with it. It's harder when the bill comes and you're faced with a $250 bill to cover what was done and not something that you want to do in the first place. But it's the right thing to do. 

About a week after losing Bo, while we were trying to figure out how to come up with the funds to pay for Bo, we had an angel show up. An anonymous donor sent us $250. We have no idea who you are, or where you are from but we are eternally grateful. The funds from that check covered Bo's euthanasia. It's probably not where you wanted the money to go but it was a HUGE relief. I can't really put into words how it was easier for me to pay the bill knowing that the funds were there. 

And again five months later, just as we were trying to figure out logistics for what to do with Junior's body, another check came in the mail from an anonymous donor. Again, the relief was there. Its' such a painful decision to make and the open wounds of losing a horse are reopened when the bill comes and you have to find the funds to pay for a euthanasia. 

Both bays have been a worry and have constantly been on my mind with their weight struggles. Having the funds come in at exactly the times we've have to make the decision to euthanize has been a relief that no words can explain. 

I've wanted to go live and talk in person about losing Bo and Junior but with Bo it's taken me five months to talk about his loss without crying. Junior had a full life so the loss isn't as bitter. It's still painful but but not as bitter sweet as Bo's. 

So, whoever you are, wherever you, thank you for your generosity, your kindness, your thoughtfulness, and your support. I have wanted to tell you thank you for months but couldn't speak the words or even type them without bursting into tears. Of course I wanted to be more eloquent but that's just not who I am. But knowing that you have helped us, whoever you are, please know that I (and everyone at the Sanctuary) is very grateful for your kindness.

Before the Mosquitoes Came

Before the mosquitoes came out, I went to the pasture to bring the herd in and to maybe snap a few pictures. Every picture you see comes directly from my phone, no manipulation or tweaking of any kind (there's no time!)


I thought you  might like to see the herd since it's been a little while. Everyone seems to be doing ok. Jim needs to go on grain but I need to convince him he needs to go into the barn. I can always tell that summers the barn stalls aren't used that often. The spiders take over and build amazing cobwebs (of course we don't have spiders in the winter) but it always surprises me out little I'm in the barn during the summer months and how often I'm in the barn during the winter. I guess that's what  barns are for.


We may be starting to grain Dude as well. He looks ok but I want to keep an eye on him. We wont' have Junior this winter so I wont know what to do with myself, no hard keepers but I do think that we'll be looking at graining others that are starting to show their age a bit more. Jim is not a hard keeper but we'll be graining him, along with Dude and possibly one or two others. Otherwise, everyone stays fat and sassy on a round bale.


But I seem to be rambling so I'll stop and post pictures from last night.

Dude (not the best picture of him but he was getting annoyed at the herd not following him for nightly grain)

Zeke

Maverick

Dude with Maverick photobombing (and King without his head)

Brego and Zeke

Wishlist Wednesday - Hay Nets

Today's Wishlist Wednesday is for large round bale hay nets. We aren't feeding hay yet so why ask for one (or two)? Because it's haying seeing and everyone is thinking about putting in their winter supply of hay.


We put in our order of hay and its' ready and waiting for us to haul it but with all those glorious bales of hay, we want to make sure not one sliver of hay is wasted and to do that, we use hay nets. We've been using hay nets for the past four years and after so many years of use and abuse from the horses, they are starting to show their wear.


We would love to have another hay net and replace one that is starting to show it's age. We'd use the one showing its age for emergencies or when we have to be gone for a while and put out an extra round bale for the herd.


I love the hay nets. It's saved us so much in hay and with hay always being such a high cost (and a hot commodity), I want to make sure we use every bit and not waste one leaf.


We can typically get hay nets for around $175 (or at least that's how much it was the last time we bought one). It would be great to have another one so that I don't have to continue to repair the old ones with twine.


Anyone want to help us buy a new hay net? Any amount is greatly appreciated. Every dollar counts, especially for such an important purchase that is used daily for eight months out of the year.