Yes, it's been a busy time of the year! Most of us are in school full time or working full time and we just don't have the spare time to read (or write) blog posts!
That's just my excuse for not writing anything for a while.
We've hit November and the first cold spell is upon us. It has been incredibly dry and because of that I have been soaking grain every feeding for many weeks. Now I've been adding salt and starting our wonderful wheat bran mashes as the cold weather creeps in.
I've consulted with our vet and she thinks our farm management is as safe as it can be as far as avoiding colic. She says now we just keep our fingers crossed that everyone stays happy!
It's that time of year again - BLANKETS! I've brushed all the spiders and dust off your blankets but if they are stinky, musty, moldy, poopy you will need to wash them (or pay me to wash them!). I certainly don't want to be handling stinky blankets all winter, but more importantly I doubt your horse wants to smell like year-old moldy excrement. Remember that after it is clean it needs time to dry, so don't clean it right before we have a cold night!
The stall schedule will change as soon as the weather evens out. Stall boarders will begin staying in the barn at night and will be out during the day. To avoid the stress of change I like to do this gradually and so you will notice that your horse may be in or out at odd times while I allow them to adjust to the change.
At this time I am blanketing the horses with shorter coats (Magic, Cas, Shellie, KC, Molly) below 40 degrees. I typically prefer to blanket older horses at warmer temperatures (below 45) because they have less fat and muscle to keep them warm. However, 3 of our 5 oldest horses have very thick winter coats and are well adjusted to this weather. Betsy, for example, lived in snow in Illinois her entire life! She would be very annoyed with me if I didn't allow her to enjoy the chilly Florida weather. On especially cold evenings I will bring the old horses into the barn where it tends to stay about 10 degrees warmer than outside.This way they don't burn calories trying to stay warm.
Let me know what your horse is accustomed to and how well they tolerate the cold. JW, for example, does not tolerate the cold weather very well and needs blanketing at warmer temps than others. Dancer shivers in 50 degree weather. Satin is fine without a blanket but tolerates wearing one (for mom's sake) at colder temps.
As I put blankets on horses for the first time since last winter I was loosening everyone's belly straps! Cas, especially, has grown quite a bit. Magic and Molly both need some more room. Even Shellie's blanket was so snug that I couldn't clip her belly straps! I definitely like them a little on the heavier side during the cold months.
Stay warm and enjoy the Florida winter!
Every day, a little something about your horses
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Nearing the end of August
We've recently had lots of rain and the pastures are exploding -- well, the big pastures are! We've had to sacrifice the pastures on the 'barn side' of the farm in order for the others to grow, grow, grow. But you should see how gorgeous the green, lush stems of forage look out in Pasture 5. The gelding herd will be thrilled!
As of now the plan is to move Magic, Cas, Aidan, Irish, JW, and KC over to Pasture 5 on September 1st. This may change a little bit because of property issues, but I am doing all that I can to make sure the horses health and happiness are priority number one.
I foresee having all 6 geldings over there for at least two weeks, at which time I will decide whether or not to bring the stall boarders (Irish, JW, KC) over to the barn side. But we'll see how the grass holds up and all that jazz.
Dancer and Shellie will likely be going out to Pasture 4 on the other side and all pastures on the barn sides will be empty for growing!
Poor Molly was abused before Susan rescued her. Her tongue was sliced to cause pain and sensitivity in her mouth for "better" response to the bit. But she's a happy, spoiled girl now and for the past few days has been free roaming the barn side of the farm, teasing the boys and stealing hay!
September is just around the corner!
As of now the plan is to move Magic, Cas, Aidan, Irish, JW, and KC over to Pasture 5 on September 1st. This may change a little bit because of property issues, but I am doing all that I can to make sure the horses health and happiness are priority number one.
I foresee having all 6 geldings over there for at least two weeks, at which time I will decide whether or not to bring the stall boarders (Irish, JW, KC) over to the barn side. But we'll see how the grass holds up and all that jazz.
Dancer and Shellie will likely be going out to Pasture 4 on the other side and all pastures on the barn sides will be empty for growing!
Dr. Bess Darrow performed dentals on Satin, Shellie, Molly, and Aidan on August 24th. Her new trailer is pretty awesome! Everyone loaded up the ramp pretty easily (well, we didn't try Aidan since he has a history or trailer trauma, so we didn't want to traumatize him further). The sedative wore off very quickly and everyone was back to their normal self soon after the event. The rain made for a cool and breezy day - it was great! I am scheduling another dental day in the future for Cas, Magic, Irish, Dancer, and whoever else needs it.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Merging Herds
I successfully merged herds yesterday. Adding a single horse to a herd is simpler than combining two sets of horses with their own set of hierarchy.
Magic is definitely king of the hill, though JW would like everyone to think that he only 'lets' Magic in the lead role because he's retired. JW holds on firmly to his "second in command" position and has fought intensely to maintain it in the past.
This type of behavior is very common in the #2 horses. It is a special position being numero dos in a herd; you get lots of perks like sharing hay with alpha horse, eating near alpha horse, and following alpha horse around. So you can see why they try hard to maintain this rung on the hierarchy ladder.
Casanova is a playful baby but at 5 years old he's feeling his oats. He has lightning fast reflexes and may try to put the bull on younger, slower herd mates.
So where will Irish and Aidan fall into the hierarchy?
Well, Irish is dominant over Aidan, although Aidan is constantly trying to change this fact. He loses every game and instigates more. He thinks he'll win one of these days.
Irish and Aidan are both young and young horses are generally more submissive to new, older horses.
I started with Magic and Cas in their pasture and added Aidan. Literally nothing happened for 20 minutes. They started grazing immediately after I put him in the pasture. Uneventful is an understatement.
Then came Irish. Aidan is very attached to his big brother and wanted to be near him. They paired up and kept to themselves with Cas following curiously behind. Cas pinned his ears and shooed them away a few times, but nothing aggressive. Cas wanted them tall boys to know that the little guys have what it takes.
Then JW.
My biggest concern was how JW would treat Irish. JW has shown aggression towards horses that threaten his position before. Irish is a confident boy with potential to move up the ladder.
I was pleasantly surprised to see everyone lazily sniffing one another, no squeals or kicks or bites.
There is definitely a benefit to introducing horses over a fence first!
I drove by their pastures early this morning on my way in from work and the 5 of them were sleeping in a tight little herd under the trees. Happy ending!
Magic is definitely king of the hill, though JW would like everyone to think that he only 'lets' Magic in the lead role because he's retired. JW holds on firmly to his "second in command" position and has fought intensely to maintain it in the past.
This type of behavior is very common in the #2 horses. It is a special position being numero dos in a herd; you get lots of perks like sharing hay with alpha horse, eating near alpha horse, and following alpha horse around. So you can see why they try hard to maintain this rung on the hierarchy ladder.
Casanova is a playful baby but at 5 years old he's feeling his oats. He has lightning fast reflexes and may try to put the bull on younger, slower herd mates.
So where will Irish and Aidan fall into the hierarchy?
Well, Irish is dominant over Aidan, although Aidan is constantly trying to change this fact. He loses every game and instigates more. He thinks he'll win one of these days.
Irish and Aidan are both young and young horses are generally more submissive to new, older horses.
I started with Magic and Cas in their pasture and added Aidan. Literally nothing happened for 20 minutes. They started grazing immediately after I put him in the pasture. Uneventful is an understatement.
Then came Irish. Aidan is very attached to his big brother and wanted to be near him. They paired up and kept to themselves with Cas following curiously behind. Cas pinned his ears and shooed them away a few times, but nothing aggressive. Cas wanted them tall boys to know that the little guys have what it takes.
Then JW.
My biggest concern was how JW would treat Irish. JW has shown aggression towards horses that threaten his position before. Irish is a confident boy with potential to move up the ladder.
I was pleasantly surprised to see everyone lazily sniffing one another, no squeals or kicks or bites.
There is definitely a benefit to introducing horses over a fence first!
I drove by their pastures early this morning on my way in from work and the 5 of them were sleeping in a tight little herd under the trees. Happy ending!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Pasture Rotation
Friday the 13th was an uneventful day at the farm. Lots of rain, which is always welcome.
The horses enjoyed the rain and continued to graze as it poured down on top of them. The horses in the stalls were happy for a breeze and for the extra hay I gave them while we waited out the weather.
We'll be keeping the herds where they are until September 1st, at which time we will make some changes. Hopefully we can combine Magic, JW, and Cas with Irish and Aidan - the 5 of them will go out to pasture 5 (that's the southern pasture on the "other side"). Pasture 5 has been mowed and dragged and rested for 30 days. The grass is growing nicely, so these boys will be happy we've managed our pastures. We may also be adding KC to their herd, depending on how everyone gets along. Young Aidan may be going off to school to learn to tote humans around on his back politely - I will miss him because I am already in love! He's so smart!
Dancer and Shellie are currently in Pasture 1, they may be going back to pasture 4 with the oldies for a while. It depends on the grass, so we'll see.
You may have noticed that some of the water troughs are filled with brownish-red water. It's unsightly, but it is only rust from their troughs and won't harm them. They've been scrubbed with bleach very recently and are still ugly, so I am working on finding some higher quality rubber/plastic troughs.
JW had his dental and has excellent teeth! He's in his early 20's and he hardly needed a float. Dr. Bob said that's because he's had such good dental care all his life. He will only need dentals every 18 months or so, even at his age. Jedi and Ufir are contrasts to JW, their teeth have not been cared for and their molars looks like jagged mountains. Jedi was not gaining weight after his arrival last year so I had the dentist out. Just a few weeks after his float he started packing on the pounds. His counterpart, Ufir, also needs her teeth done. If they had been floated consistently all their life this would not be such a concern. It's a good lesson for all of us!
Dr. Bess Darrow is coming out soon to do everyone else.
http://www.tuneupsequine.com/Site/Tune_Ups_Veterinary_Equine_Dentistry.html
The horses enjoyed the rain and continued to graze as it poured down on top of them. The horses in the stalls were happy for a breeze and for the extra hay I gave them while we waited out the weather.
We'll be keeping the herds where they are until September 1st, at which time we will make some changes. Hopefully we can combine Magic, JW, and Cas with Irish and Aidan - the 5 of them will go out to pasture 5 (that's the southern pasture on the "other side"). Pasture 5 has been mowed and dragged and rested for 30 days. The grass is growing nicely, so these boys will be happy we've managed our pastures. We may also be adding KC to their herd, depending on how everyone gets along. Young Aidan may be going off to school to learn to tote humans around on his back politely - I will miss him because I am already in love! He's so smart!
Dancer and Shellie are currently in Pasture 1, they may be going back to pasture 4 with the oldies for a while. It depends on the grass, so we'll see.
You may have noticed that some of the water troughs are filled with brownish-red water. It's unsightly, but it is only rust from their troughs and won't harm them. They've been scrubbed with bleach very recently and are still ugly, so I am working on finding some higher quality rubber/plastic troughs.
JW had his dental and has excellent teeth! He's in his early 20's and he hardly needed a float. Dr. Bob said that's because he's had such good dental care all his life. He will only need dentals every 18 months or so, even at his age. Jedi and Ufir are contrasts to JW, their teeth have not been cared for and their molars looks like jagged mountains. Jedi was not gaining weight after his arrival last year so I had the dentist out. Just a few weeks after his float he started packing on the pounds. His counterpart, Ufir, also needs her teeth done. If they had been floated consistently all their life this would not be such a concern. It's a good lesson for all of us!
Dr. Bess Darrow is coming out soon to do everyone else.
http://www.tuneupsequine.com/Site/Tune_Ups_Veterinary_Equine_Dentistry.html
Saturday, August 7, 2010
August in Florida means...
The peak of summer in Florida brings heat, humidity, some rain here and there, high electric bills, parasitic insects, runny eyes, copious amounts of weeds... Those are some negatives of our summers, but what about the positives? Well, for me personally, "not cold" is enough to keep me happy! But we also get to enjoy long days where it's still daylight at 8:00pm, lots of green forage, no blankets, hydrated hooves, and... well, what do you enjoy about summer?
The barn electricity has been sky high with fans running almost non-stop morning til dark. The water pump is also electric and we're refilling troughs twice a day. During these hottest months the electric bill is about 3 times higher than our average. Impressive!
The black fly population has finally died down. I thought we'd never get a reprieve from the billions of little buzzing buggers but their numbers have dwindled. Donkeys are surprisingly susceptible to insect parasitism, so they absolutely have to wear their fly masks during day light hours. Karma has already had two bouts of eye infections. They also seem to be more sensitive to insect bites as well, but keeping them drenched in fly spray is a challenge as it is a donkey's nature to roll, roll, roll in the dirt. Some of the more sensitive horses are getting steroid sprays and injections to keep them comfortable.
The mosquitoes haven't been bad this year which is definitely something to celebrate! Of course it's not the wettest season yet, so keep your fingers crossed and your DEET handy.
Have you seen the new mower? The "Green Meanie" is an old model John Deere with no brakes and a tiny deck, but it's a beast and can push through the thickest weeds. It takes about twice as long to mow a pasture, but the machine does its job. Our landlord's mower, although a nice piece of equipment, could not cut through the weeds. Our best option last year was to rent a heavy duty, walk-behind brush mower every few weeks. Not only was this costly but the labor was intense. We finally had just enough cash to buy this decade-old, quirky John Deere rider, and we're finding that it was the perfect investment. Buying an ancient piece of equipment has its downsides, but it was vetted and past the test so we're hoping it still has a lot of life left in it. At least a few more summers!
We've also upgraded to a golf cart! My mother helped carry buckets of feed across the farm the last time she visited and she took mercy on me - she let me borrow her golf cart! Although a wonderful gesture, borrowing anything from a parent is complicated, so we'll have to keep impeccable care of it. It's worth it if you ask me!
I hope you're finding time to enjoy the beauty of the Florida summer!
The barn electricity has been sky high with fans running almost non-stop morning til dark. The water pump is also electric and we're refilling troughs twice a day. During these hottest months the electric bill is about 3 times higher than our average. Impressive!
The black fly population has finally died down. I thought we'd never get a reprieve from the billions of little buzzing buggers but their numbers have dwindled. Donkeys are surprisingly susceptible to insect parasitism, so they absolutely have to wear their fly masks during day light hours. Karma has already had two bouts of eye infections. They also seem to be more sensitive to insect bites as well, but keeping them drenched in fly spray is a challenge as it is a donkey's nature to roll, roll, roll in the dirt. Some of the more sensitive horses are getting steroid sprays and injections to keep them comfortable.
The mosquitoes haven't been bad this year which is definitely something to celebrate! Of course it's not the wettest season yet, so keep your fingers crossed and your DEET handy.
Have you seen the new mower? The "Green Meanie" is an old model John Deere with no brakes and a tiny deck, but it's a beast and can push through the thickest weeds. It takes about twice as long to mow a pasture, but the machine does its job. Our landlord's mower, although a nice piece of equipment, could not cut through the weeds. Our best option last year was to rent a heavy duty, walk-behind brush mower every few weeks. Not only was this costly but the labor was intense. We finally had just enough cash to buy this decade-old, quirky John Deere rider, and we're finding that it was the perfect investment. Buying an ancient piece of equipment has its downsides, but it was vetted and past the test so we're hoping it still has a lot of life left in it. At least a few more summers!
We've also upgraded to a golf cart! My mother helped carry buckets of feed across the farm the last time she visited and she took mercy on me - she let me borrow her golf cart! Although a wonderful gesture, borrowing anything from a parent is complicated, so we'll have to keep impeccable care of it. It's worth it if you ask me!
I hope you're finding time to enjoy the beauty of the Florida summer!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Wrapping up July
If you were wondering where you're at, July has confirmed that we are definitely in Florida! With heat indexes in the 100's, the horses are seeking refuge in the shade as much as possible. I'm adding electrolytes and minerals to their grain and soaking feed at least 3 times per week. Horses are getting sprayed down left and right and I catch them playing in their trough puddles in the heat of the day. The life of luxury, no?
Sadly, we bid farewell to adorable pony face, Bodhi, as he embarks on his life-changing journey to join his mother in Canada. What fun! He was a prince for me while walking through the darkness of dawn to meet the massive (literally the biggest horse transport rig I have ever seen) at the paved road. He loaded without hesitation and was playing in his box stall shavings before they pulled off. Safe travels, sweet Bodhi! And enjoy the Canada weather! We know you will.
Paths change and we are forced to make difficult choices, and unfortunately we must say goodbye to not one, but four horses! We will surely miss the adorableness of Bodhi, the polite independence of Dusty, Tav's child-like curiosity, and Pokey's noble nature.
Congratulations to Ashley on her newest addition, a very handsome, young Thoroughbred boy named Anthony! Hopefully Anthony can keep up with Pokey's play drive!
We expect lots of updates from our friends who have to leave us! You and your horses will be missed!
On the heels of horses bidding farewell is the arrival of a few new horses and their humans. Welcome Mary and her two handsome Irish Draughts, Irish and Aiden. I'm looking forward to meeting these two boys and getting to know them. I bet they would enjoy a good romp with big boy Magic and little man Casanova. JW will just have to stand back and supervise those youngins. Irish, Aiden, and mom Mary will be arriving today!
And in two weeks we look forward to welcoming Morgan and her gelding, KC! She'll be attending the University of Florida in the fall - how exciting!
And as today is the last day in July, we say goodbye to another summer month gone by without a donkey foal. C'mon, Karma, how long must we wait?!
Sadly, we bid farewell to adorable pony face, Bodhi, as he embarks on his life-changing journey to join his mother in Canada. What fun! He was a prince for me while walking through the darkness of dawn to meet the massive (literally the biggest horse transport rig I have ever seen) at the paved road. He loaded without hesitation and was playing in his box stall shavings before they pulled off. Safe travels, sweet Bodhi! And enjoy the Canada weather! We know you will.
Paths change and we are forced to make difficult choices, and unfortunately we must say goodbye to not one, but four horses! We will surely miss the adorableness of Bodhi, the polite independence of Dusty, Tav's child-like curiosity, and Pokey's noble nature.
Congratulations to Ashley on her newest addition, a very handsome, young Thoroughbred boy named Anthony! Hopefully Anthony can keep up with Pokey's play drive!
We expect lots of updates from our friends who have to leave us! You and your horses will be missed!
On the heels of horses bidding farewell is the arrival of a few new horses and their humans. Welcome Mary and her two handsome Irish Draughts, Irish and Aiden. I'm looking forward to meeting these two boys and getting to know them. I bet they would enjoy a good romp with big boy Magic and little man Casanova. JW will just have to stand back and supervise those youngins. Irish, Aiden, and mom Mary will be arriving today!
And in two weeks we look forward to welcoming Morgan and her gelding, KC! She'll be attending the University of Florida in the fall - how exciting!
And as today is the last day in July, we say goodbye to another summer month gone by without a donkey foal. C'mon, Karma, how long must we wait?!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Poinsonous Plants
** This post has been in draft-form for 2 weeks! And you might be interested to hear that I typed this up before having an issue with a bale of contaminated alfalfa hay. Hmmm!
"Poisonous plants" is a scary topic, but I hope to dispel your fears with a little education.
The questions that come to mind are:
1) How likely is it for my horse to get sick from poisonous plants?
2) How much does he have to eat to become ill?
3) How will I know he's been poisoned?
4) What do the poisonous plants look like?
Fortunately for us, small, private boarding facilities generally don't have a problem with poisonous plants when there is good management. You see most poisonings from horses eating hay that has been baled from a pasture full of these weeds or from horses eating the clippings of a freshly mowed pasture. Most poisonous weeds are thorny, smelly, and simply unappetizing, but that doesn't stop some horses from behaving quite opposite to their ancestors and feral counterparts.
So how likely is it for my horse to get sick from poisonous plants? Well, to all you number-nerds, I don't have the statistics, but it is a rare occurrence that a horse will consume enough of the poisonous plant in our pasture setting to get sick. The few poisonous weeds that we see commonly in our area are just not appealing to the equine pallet in the form of a live, growing weed. If they were dried and shredded and stuck in your horse's flake of coastal then you would definitely have need to worry! But have no fear, I know the weed management protocols of our hay grower and he does an excellent job of keeping weeds from his pastures.
Let's say your horse get bored, curious, or thoughtlessly consumes a poisonous weed. How much does she have to eat to become ill? The answer to this question varies from plant to plant, depending on toxicity. The part of the plant that contains the toxin also varies. Leaves, stem, berries, roots... But no matter which plant he's consumed, the treatment is very similar - supportive care in the form of fluids and alternatively, herbal remedies to detoxify.
So far we know that is it very unlikely for a horse to eat the unappetizing weeds, and even when curiosity overrides instinct the horse has to eat more than just a few bored nibbles. So when is it a real concern?
Well, when it's in the hay (or, in the case of our recent issue, when it's come into contact with the hay), or when there are fresh, shredded clippings after mowing.
Again, have no fear! I do not mow over the poisonous weeds for this very reason. Call me crazy, but I actually pull up and toss (into the woods) the poisonous weeds. We have so few that this is feasible.
And how will you know if your horse has been poisoned? Mainly gastrointestinal signs such as diarrhea, but also fever, lethargy, laminitis. In the case of our contaminated alfalfa, horses had swollen lips and tongue. This was a result of a plant like stinging nettles, one that causes contact dermatitis. A little bute as per our veterinarian and everyone was fine.
And last, but certainly not least, on the list of common questions is "What do they look like?"
I thought it would be helpful to document in picture form all the poisonous weeds on our farm. So here they are:
Pigweed:
"Poisonous plants" is a scary topic, but I hope to dispel your fears with a little education.
The questions that come to mind are:
1) How likely is it for my horse to get sick from poisonous plants?
2) How much does he have to eat to become ill?
3) How will I know he's been poisoned?
4) What do the poisonous plants look like?
Fortunately for us, small, private boarding facilities generally don't have a problem with poisonous plants when there is good management. You see most poisonings from horses eating hay that has been baled from a pasture full of these weeds or from horses eating the clippings of a freshly mowed pasture. Most poisonous weeds are thorny, smelly, and simply unappetizing, but that doesn't stop some horses from behaving quite opposite to their ancestors and feral counterparts.
So how likely is it for my horse to get sick from poisonous plants? Well, to all you number-nerds, I don't have the statistics, but it is a rare occurrence that a horse will consume enough of the poisonous plant in our pasture setting to get sick. The few poisonous weeds that we see commonly in our area are just not appealing to the equine pallet in the form of a live, growing weed. If they were dried and shredded and stuck in your horse's flake of coastal then you would definitely have need to worry! But have no fear, I know the weed management protocols of our hay grower and he does an excellent job of keeping weeds from his pastures.
Let's say your horse get bored, curious, or thoughtlessly consumes a poisonous weed. How much does she have to eat to become ill? The answer to this question varies from plant to plant, depending on toxicity. The part of the plant that contains the toxin also varies. Leaves, stem, berries, roots... But no matter which plant he's consumed, the treatment is very similar - supportive care in the form of fluids and alternatively, herbal remedies to detoxify.
So far we know that is it very unlikely for a horse to eat the unappetizing weeds, and even when curiosity overrides instinct the horse has to eat more than just a few bored nibbles. So when is it a real concern?
Well, when it's in the hay (or, in the case of our recent issue, when it's come into contact with the hay), or when there are fresh, shredded clippings after mowing.
Again, have no fear! I do not mow over the poisonous weeds for this very reason. Call me crazy, but I actually pull up and toss (into the woods) the poisonous weeds. We have so few that this is feasible.
And how will you know if your horse has been poisoned? Mainly gastrointestinal signs such as diarrhea, but also fever, lethargy, laminitis. In the case of our contaminated alfalfa, horses had swollen lips and tongue. This was a result of a plant like stinging nettles, one that causes contact dermatitis. A little bute as per our veterinarian and everyone was fine.
And last, but certainly not least, on the list of common questions is "What do they look like?"
I thought it would be helpful to document in picture form all the poisonous weeds on our farm. So here they are:
Pigweed:
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Herd Dynamics
Every horse is an individual and fits in a particular place within the herd hierarchy. I thought you'd like to here a short little story that pertains to your horses!
Last night at feeding time the sky was dark purple, there was a humid breeze blowing through the barn, and the rumble of thunder was making a bee-line for our farm. I saw lightening off in the distance as well, but there was no rain just yet.
I turned Dancer and Shellie out immediately, hoping that they could stretch their legs before the down pour. If it got too scary I would likely have brought them back into the barn (not because I am a softy!) because these sensitive girls prefer the safety of the stall. I went to take JW out of the stall but noticed he had some discharge from his nose, a little more than usual, and I figured getting completely drenched in a storm wouldn't be good for his special sinuses, so I threw him more hay and left him in.
I waited and waited and still no rain! All the symptoms of the storm were evident, but it had not, and was not going to, manifest itself. So at 10:30pm I went out, flashlight in hand, to turn the old boy out.
Here is where the story actually gets interesting.
It seemed more dark than usual but the moon was full and bright! My guess is that the sky was cloudy and light wasn't getting to us.. or something. But man, it was dark! JW nickered at the Thoroughbred gals as we walked by and they came to visit. We finally made it to his pasture gate and I brought him in, undid the halter, and stepped back. He just stood there. So I turned off the flash light so his eyes could adjust. He stood still, listening, then let out a loud call to his buddies who were no where to be seen. The sound of hooves pounding got my heart bumping. All four pasture mates came galloping up, little Casanova returned JW's call with a girly one of his own. Magic lead the group through the darkness and stopped them about 10 feet from JW. JW had not moved an inch yet - I still don't think he could see. Then Magic walked away from the herd, greeted JW with a very long sniff, and allowed him into the herd. Then all 5 hung together, sniffing and talking, before quietly walking back off into the darkness.
Isn't it so cool how welcomed JW must have felt in his herd? And how Magic lead his followers to find a lost "sheep"? And Cas, the adorable talker, couldn't help but say "We're coming!!" as they cantered up to the gate. And even Dusty, Mr. Independent, stopped what he was doing to follow his leader and greet his pasture mate.
I could watch horses interact with one another all day long, how about you?
Last night at feeding time the sky was dark purple, there was a humid breeze blowing through the barn, and the rumble of thunder was making a bee-line for our farm. I saw lightening off in the distance as well, but there was no rain just yet.
I turned Dancer and Shellie out immediately, hoping that they could stretch their legs before the down pour. If it got too scary I would likely have brought them back into the barn (not because I am a softy!) because these sensitive girls prefer the safety of the stall. I went to take JW out of the stall but noticed he had some discharge from his nose, a little more than usual, and I figured getting completely drenched in a storm wouldn't be good for his special sinuses, so I threw him more hay and left him in.
I waited and waited and still no rain! All the symptoms of the storm were evident, but it had not, and was not going to, manifest itself. So at 10:30pm I went out, flashlight in hand, to turn the old boy out.
Here is where the story actually gets interesting.
It seemed more dark than usual but the moon was full and bright! My guess is that the sky was cloudy and light wasn't getting to us.. or something. But man, it was dark! JW nickered at the Thoroughbred gals as we walked by and they came to visit. We finally made it to his pasture gate and I brought him in, undid the halter, and stepped back. He just stood there. So I turned off the flash light so his eyes could adjust. He stood still, listening, then let out a loud call to his buddies who were no where to be seen. The sound of hooves pounding got my heart bumping. All four pasture mates came galloping up, little Casanova returned JW's call with a girly one of his own. Magic lead the group through the darkness and stopped them about 10 feet from JW. JW had not moved an inch yet - I still don't think he could see. Then Magic walked away from the herd, greeted JW with a very long sniff, and allowed him into the herd. Then all 5 hung together, sniffing and talking, before quietly walking back off into the darkness.
Isn't it so cool how welcomed JW must have felt in his herd? And how Magic lead his followers to find a lost "sheep"? And Cas, the adorable talker, couldn't help but say "We're coming!!" as they cantered up to the gate. And even Dusty, Mr. Independent, stopped what he was doing to follow his leader and greet his pasture mate.
I could watch horses interact with one another all day long, how about you?
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Diamond Back Rattlesssss
Are there words to describe how humid it has been? Dante's Inferno comes to mind...
Don't get me wrong, I love the heat. But this humidity is deadly! Saunas are for occasional use to relax and detoxify, not carry out your daily routine in! Those of us brave enough (or without a choice) to sweat through the heat are probably burning a million calories a minute and losing gallons of salts. There are bottles of soda (how nice, a diuretic drink in the hot summer!) in the feed room fridge. But I recommend drinking water or something with electrolytes while your melting in the sun.
As for the horses' electrolyte intake, everyone has a mineral block available to them in addition to their complete feed. Horses that sweat more than others should be on an electrolyte supplement just for kicks. If you have a sweater and want me to give something extra, just leave the supplement in the feed room or tell me to get some for you and I'll pick it up on my next trip to the feed store.
With the heat comes critters of all shapes and sizes seeking out water and breezes. Before nearly stepping on this 2 foot diamondback rattle snake, I thought I heard a bee buzzing near. Well, that buzzing was her rattle and she was directly in my walking path! Thank God for overcautious mothers - she pushed me out of the way! We immediately contained the beautiful snake (I called it a "she", my mom just kept telling me to "kill it!") under a wooden drawer and secured it with concrete blocks. I called Animal Services, Snake Busters, and Wildlife Rehab, and no one deals with Venomous snakes. After some research and seeking advice, we decided we would try to contain her more safely and relocate her. Thankfully Molly had access to a snake pole! Without that pole and Chris's bravery, I think we would have had a very difficult time! Due to the adrenaline rush while we were attempting to get her from under her wooden drawer, catch her, and put her in a trash can, we did not take pictures. But once the adrenaline wore off we remembered the camera and snapped some cell phone shots of her release:
So stay safe, be cautious of picking up logs and pieces of wood, feed bags, etc. Lots of wildlife living among us!
I bought 4 new high-velocity fans! I found a fantastic deal at Sam's Club so we were able to afford 4 fans. I'll be putting them up today. Hopefully we'll notice a difference! I think the change in air flow will be significant as you can't feel any breeze from a few of these older box fans.
Stay cool, hydrated, and steer clear of snakes!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
June trims
Lana was out on Monday and Tuesday of this week to trim horses. Both days were hot, but Lana comes equipped with her own fan! We had two fans blasting her and the spoiled horses on the cross-ties. I think it was because of the fans that all the horses were falling asleep and were therefore very uncooperative! Fortunately, Lana is amazingly patient (more so than I am!) and even at her most frustrated with simply step back and say, "Quit being a snot nose."
Gone are the days where the farrier whacks a horse on the belly with their rasp or angrily yanks the horse around. Not Lana. She'll put a horse back in the stall and come back to them later.
On Tuesday we did the Thoroughbreds (JW, Dancer, Shellie) and Kurly has his front hooves trimmed (we're doing corrective trimming every 2 weeks on Kurly's hoof since he tore a huge chunk of hoof wall off a few months ago). The TB's hooves always look awful just before their 6-week trim. Lana suggests a biotin supplement for horses with crummy hooves - no other product really does the job.
On Wednesday we finished up the horses on the 6-week schedule. Bodhi and Magic had lead in their feet as I dragged them from the pasture to the barn. I do not recommend trying to walk the two most lazy horses on the farm at the same time. While one eats grass, the other plants his feet. I wanted to release a badger behind them to nip at their heels! We finally made it to the barn where they rested in stalls with breezy fans and copious amounts of hay. Molly and Betsy were also trimmed. It was a bad day for Molly's arthritis (and attitude) so we didn't push her and didn't finish her back hooves. I will be giving her a dose of bute a few hours before our next session to help ease her discomfort.
Even without much rain the pastures are holding up. Pasture 4 (the one on the left as you drive up our road) is empty - the grass is beautiful! Two more weeks of growing and hopefully some down pours and that pasture should be busting with grass! Pasture 5 (Magic. Bodhi, Cas, Dusty, JW) is holding its own. I mowed it this week to keep the weeds at bay and the grass, although short, is thick and available for eating. Come July 1st, there will be more pasture rotation to allow other pastures to grow.
Since it is SO hot I will be buying some more high quality fans for the barn. As tempting as it is to purchase the $20 box fans, they just don't create the breeze the horses need in this humidity. Even brand-spankin-new box fans leave you begging for more. Plus, the plastic fans don't stand up well to the barn dust and they are more likely to cause a fire, apparently. It looks like the best deal I can get is $40 per fan (metal 20''), but these are Wal-mart brand and who knows about their quality. The next best option is a huge leap to $80 per fan, but they are guaranteed high quality, high velocity and will do the job. If I bought one for each used stall that would cost $700. It would take months and months to recoup that cost. So I may get a few fans at a time and see how doubling up on box fans will work. Rest assured your stalled horses will not be hot!
If a horse is sweating, I hose them off. I just can't help myself. Sometimes even if they aren't sweating I will hose them off anyway because it feels so good. Just this past week I have hosed off Molly, Betsy, Shellie, Tav, Pokey, and my horses.
I got a load of 15 coastal square bales on Friday. These are super green! I'll be heading to Micanopy to pick up a load of O/A bales this weekend.
That's all the news for now! Stay cool - your horses are!
Gone are the days where the farrier whacks a horse on the belly with their rasp or angrily yanks the horse around. Not Lana. She'll put a horse back in the stall and come back to them later.
On Tuesday we did the Thoroughbreds (JW, Dancer, Shellie) and Kurly has his front hooves trimmed (we're doing corrective trimming every 2 weeks on Kurly's hoof since he tore a huge chunk of hoof wall off a few months ago). The TB's hooves always look awful just before their 6-week trim. Lana suggests a biotin supplement for horses with crummy hooves - no other product really does the job.
On Wednesday we finished up the horses on the 6-week schedule. Bodhi and Magic had lead in their feet as I dragged them from the pasture to the barn. I do not recommend trying to walk the two most lazy horses on the farm at the same time. While one eats grass, the other plants his feet. I wanted to release a badger behind them to nip at their heels! We finally made it to the barn where they rested in stalls with breezy fans and copious amounts of hay. Molly and Betsy were also trimmed. It was a bad day for Molly's arthritis (and attitude) so we didn't push her and didn't finish her back hooves. I will be giving her a dose of bute a few hours before our next session to help ease her discomfort.
Even without much rain the pastures are holding up. Pasture 4 (the one on the left as you drive up our road) is empty - the grass is beautiful! Two more weeks of growing and hopefully some down pours and that pasture should be busting with grass! Pasture 5 (Magic. Bodhi, Cas, Dusty, JW) is holding its own. I mowed it this week to keep the weeds at bay and the grass, although short, is thick and available for eating. Come July 1st, there will be more pasture rotation to allow other pastures to grow.
Since it is SO hot I will be buying some more high quality fans for the barn. As tempting as it is to purchase the $20 box fans, they just don't create the breeze the horses need in this humidity. Even brand-spankin-new box fans leave you begging for more. Plus, the plastic fans don't stand up well to the barn dust and they are more likely to cause a fire, apparently. It looks like the best deal I can get is $40 per fan (metal 20''), but these are Wal-mart brand and who knows about their quality. The next best option is a huge leap to $80 per fan, but they are guaranteed high quality, high velocity and will do the job. If I bought one for each used stall that would cost $700. It would take months and months to recoup that cost. So I may get a few fans at a time and see how doubling up on box fans will work. Rest assured your stalled horses will not be hot!
If a horse is sweating, I hose them off. I just can't help myself. Sometimes even if they aren't sweating I will hose them off anyway because it feels so good. Just this past week I have hosed off Molly, Betsy, Shellie, Tav, Pokey, and my horses.
I got a load of 15 coastal square bales on Friday. These are super green! I'll be heading to Micanopy to pick up a load of O/A bales this weekend.
That's all the news for now! Stay cool - your horses are!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Brief Update
Just a quick update on the farm!
Poor Pokey was diagnosed with a large hole in his suspensiary ligament. The treatment, for now, is stall rest. so Mr. Pokesters will be back under his fan for the time being. To be sure he has enough company day and night, we've made some accommodations. Shellie, Dancer, and JW are still coming in during the day. Satin will start coming in at night to keep him company. Because Satin will be leaving Tav all by his lonesome in the pasture at night, I've brought Miss Molly up from the oldies herd to be Tav's nanny. Well, it turns out that Molly most certainly is NOT his nanny and prefers to be called his girlfriend. They are getting along wonderfully!
JW is back from his short stint at the UF vet school where he had a CT scan performed on his noggin. The good news is the docs didn't find anything that needed surgical repair, so he'll just be snotty for now.
It's been about 8 months since our last dental day and some of the older horses are ready for their teeth to be done again. If you want to add your horse to the list for Dr. Bess Darrow equine dentist to float, let me know. Here's her website.
If you'd prefer Dr. Erica Lacher to perform the float, she's giving discounts on dentals during July if you transport your horse to the clinic. It's about 12 miles from the farm - about a 30 minute trek. http://www.springhillequine.com/
On Thursday the 27th, the following horses were vaccinated for Rabies as well as spring vaccines:
JW, Magic, Dusty, Tav, Pokey, Molly. Jedi and Ufir had their hooves trimmed on the 28th. Lana the farrier will be out in about 10 days to trim all the horses on a 6 week schedule, which is pretty much everyone at this point.
Poor Pokey was diagnosed with a large hole in his suspensiary ligament. The treatment, for now, is stall rest. so Mr. Pokesters will be back under his fan for the time being. To be sure he has enough company day and night, we've made some accommodations. Shellie, Dancer, and JW are still coming in during the day. Satin will start coming in at night to keep him company. Because Satin will be leaving Tav all by his lonesome in the pasture at night, I've brought Miss Molly up from the oldies herd to be Tav's nanny. Well, it turns out that Molly most certainly is NOT his nanny and prefers to be called his girlfriend. They are getting along wonderfully!
JW is back from his short stint at the UF vet school where he had a CT scan performed on his noggin. The good news is the docs didn't find anything that needed surgical repair, so he'll just be snotty for now.
It's been about 8 months since our last dental day and some of the older horses are ready for their teeth to be done again. If you want to add your horse to the list for Dr. Bess Darrow equine dentist to float, let me know. Here's her website.
If you'd prefer Dr. Erica Lacher to perform the float, she's giving discounts on dentals during July if you transport your horse to the clinic. It's about 12 miles from the farm - about a 30 minute trek. http://www.springhillequine.com/
On Thursday the 27th, the following horses were vaccinated for Rabies as well as spring vaccines:
JW, Magic, Dusty, Tav, Pokey, Molly. Jedi and Ufir had their hooves trimmed on the 28th. Lana the farrier will be out in about 10 days to trim all the horses on a 6 week schedule, which is pretty much everyone at this point.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Pasture Upgrade
Dear Weeds,
You do not fit in to my pasture management system. Therefore... you must die!
I still hesitate to use herbicide even though the product we will use is "safe" when "dry" with no suggested period of time to keep the horses off. Even the vet says "Keep them off for about 24 hours." I still hesitate! Yes, these powerful chemicals are designed to target plant proteins and are deemed "harmless" by scientists. But I have heard "scientists" say some pretty impressive CRAP.
That said, I am mowing the weeds as frequently as possible - while they are still small and not producing seeds. This will allow the grass to catch up (once we get some gosh darn rain).
Pasture 1 has been dragged, seeded, and dragged, and mowed, and mowed. The next step is to allow it to grow and once the rain starts (soon, according to the radar!) I will apply fertilizer.
Pasture 3 has been dragged and mowed. I have not put down the seed yet because I may still need it as a back up pasture for the 3 horses on 'this side of the farm'. If I seed it and then have to use the pasture, all my baby grass will be gobbled up before it can re-seed itself!
Pastures 4 and 5 (on the 'other side') have both been dragged and mowed. I love to drag because it spreads out all the manure piles as well as pulls out some shallow-rooted weeds. And mowing gets the rest of the pesky weeds.
Stall horses have been coming in during the day now. Since I have time on my hands I am bringing them in around 10am or when it starts to get hot (they still get fed early, before 8am). I try turning them out by 5pm if it isn't sweltering out.
A HUGE oak tree came down during a rain storm a few weeks ago, taking out (what I originally though to be 40 feet of fencing) about 60 feet of pasture fence! Lots of good news though; no horses were in the pasture when it happened, it only took out wire and the posts are mostly in tact, and it wasn't a tree on our side, so we won't lose any shade. Yay! Trees happen.
Chris took on the monumental task of dismembering the tree with a hand saw (yes, the manual kind!) and a hatchet. Now that he's pretty much hacked it up Dexter-style he's sporting some awesome guns.
After leaving massive piles of tree digits, Alex loaded them limb-by-limb into the truck and trucked (no pun intended) them over to the burn pile, unloaded them, and went back for more. Whew! And in the Florida sun!
Do your Native American rain dances, send prayers to rain gods, and cross your fingers - we need RAIN!
You do not fit in to my pasture management system. Therefore... you must die!
I still hesitate to use herbicide even though the product we will use is "safe" when "dry" with no suggested period of time to keep the horses off. Even the vet says "Keep them off for about 24 hours." I still hesitate! Yes, these powerful chemicals are designed to target plant proteins and are deemed "harmless" by scientists. But I have heard "scientists" say some pretty impressive CRAP.
That said, I am mowing the weeds as frequently as possible - while they are still small and not producing seeds. This will allow the grass to catch up (once we get some gosh darn rain).
Pasture 1 has been dragged, seeded, and dragged, and mowed, and mowed. The next step is to allow it to grow and once the rain starts (soon, according to the radar!) I will apply fertilizer.
Pasture 3 has been dragged and mowed. I have not put down the seed yet because I may still need it as a back up pasture for the 3 horses on 'this side of the farm'. If I seed it and then have to use the pasture, all my baby grass will be gobbled up before it can re-seed itself!
The new (used) drag!
Pastures 4 and 5 (on the 'other side') have both been dragged and mowed. I love to drag because it spreads out all the manure piles as well as pulls out some shallow-rooted weeds. And mowing gets the rest of the pesky weeds.
Stall horses have been coming in during the day now. Since I have time on my hands I am bringing them in around 10am or when it starts to get hot (they still get fed early, before 8am). I try turning them out by 5pm if it isn't sweltering out.
A HUGE oak tree came down during a rain storm a few weeks ago, taking out (what I originally though to be 40 feet of fencing) about 60 feet of pasture fence! Lots of good news though; no horses were in the pasture when it happened, it only took out wire and the posts are mostly in tact, and it wasn't a tree on our side, so we won't lose any shade. Yay! Trees happen.
Chris took on the monumental task of dismembering the tree with a hand saw (yes, the manual kind!) and a hatchet. Now that he's pretty much hacked it up Dexter-style he's sporting some awesome guns.
After leaving massive piles of tree digits, Alex loaded them limb-by-limb into the truck and trucked (no pun intended) them over to the burn pile, unloaded them, and went back for more. Whew! And in the Florida sun!
Do your Native American rain dances, send prayers to rain gods, and cross your fingers - we need RAIN!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Many of you have met the new addition to the farm, Darsy, the 4 month-old Holstein heifer calf. Feel free to brush her, feed her treats, and scratch her favorite places. If you want to take her out just let me know and I'll give you some basic instructions (I'm a nervous mommy!).
The spring flowers are beautiful! They only last for a few weeks so take your pictures soon :)
Everyone is doing well despite the low levels of grass. We're still getting our ducks in a row to seed and the ducks keep swimming in all different directions!
Congratulations to Molly and Chris on their fantastic find in Canada! A quaint home with Bodhi right outside their window - perfect!For those of you in school - good luck on your exams. It's almost over!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Florida is Baaaack!
The oaks are shedding on to the backs of the horses (and donkeys!). The horses are shedding on to the grass. And the itty bitty birds are carrying the horse hair back up into the trees. It's spring time!
I've been soaking everyone's grain in water the past few days. Since there is still limited fresh grass the horses are eating a lot of dry matter (hay, grain, etc). Adding water and occassionaly adding wet wheat bran will help their guts out. Just trying to avoid upset horse bellies!
Everyone appears nice and plump so once the grass explodes in the next few weeks we will very likely need to cut back on their grain.
Since your blankets are no longer needed feel free to clean them and hang them to dry on the fence. No reason we can't put them away until next winter!
Enjoy Florida!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
April Showers...
Wow! It's April (finally) and the azaleas are flowering!
For those of you lacking a green thumb, the azaleas are the bushes around the barn. Vibrant pink and white flowers are popping up all over their green backdrop. Although azalea bushes are somewhat toxic to animals when ingested, they are not very tasty (otherwise the donkeys would be toxified by now!).
Just in the few days we've had the horses out of Pastures 1 and 3 grass has begun to sprout! We purchased a spreader/aerator from Tractor Supply. With Chris's help we assembled it in under 2 hours only to realize that it was a worthless piece of equipment. Bummer! Lesson learned.
The good news is TS will accept the aerator as a return AND I don't have to disassemble it! Whew.
Instead we'll be buying a more expensive, less complicated, multifunctional piece of farm equipment: a spiked drag harrow! Basically just some heavy duty steel twisted into a chain-like drag with about 6 links of metal that point into the ground. It can work as a drag for the arena, an aerator for the pastures, and a drag for the round bales. Figures the simplified equipment works better.
Because of the whole 'crappy aerator' incident, upgrading the pastures has been set back a few days until I can get the aerator returned and the harrow purchased. That may happen this evening since TS is open late!
This weather is amazing, isn't it!? Perfect for doing anything outside with your furry friend.
With spring weather comes necessary spring vaccines. The mosquitoes are coming out of hiding and with them we see a plethora of vector-borne diseases. Is your horse vaccinated?
For those of you lacking a green thumb, the azaleas are the bushes around the barn. Vibrant pink and white flowers are popping up all over their green backdrop. Although azalea bushes are somewhat toxic to animals when ingested, they are not very tasty (otherwise the donkeys would be toxified by now!).
Just in the few days we've had the horses out of Pastures 1 and 3 grass has begun to sprout! We purchased a spreader/aerator from Tractor Supply. With Chris's help we assembled it in under 2 hours only to realize that it was a worthless piece of equipment. Bummer! Lesson learned.
The good news is TS will accept the aerator as a return AND I don't have to disassemble it! Whew.
Instead we'll be buying a more expensive, less complicated, multifunctional piece of farm equipment: a spiked drag harrow! Basically just some heavy duty steel twisted into a chain-like drag with about 6 links of metal that point into the ground. It can work as a drag for the arena, an aerator for the pastures, and a drag for the round bales. Figures the simplified equipment works better.
Because of the whole 'crappy aerator' incident, upgrading the pastures has been set back a few days until I can get the aerator returned and the harrow purchased. That may happen this evening since TS is open late!
This weather is amazing, isn't it!? Perfect for doing anything outside with your furry friend.
With spring weather comes necessary spring vaccines. The mosquitoes are coming out of hiding and with them we see a plethora of vector-borne diseases. Is your horse vaccinated?
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Updates, updates!
Pasture upgrading is in full swing!
We finally received our soil sample test results back -- the pH, Phospohorus, and Potash (potassium) are at perfect levels. Hooray! That means we don't need to add lime to adjust the pH. They do recommend adding 50 lbs of Nitrogen per acre. The don't test for Nitrogen but they say that for grazing pasture they always recommend adding Nitrogen.
So, we have the Nitrogen, the Pensacola Bahia grass seed, the seed spreader/aerator, the herbicide and backpack sprayer. We're good to go.
Betsy, Dancer, and Shellie were moved about 5 days ago to Pasture 4 with Jedi, Ufir, and Molly. Molly was thrilled to see her younger lady friends and ran around with them until everyone settled down. Molly has buddied up with Betsy and they all seem very content with the new herd arrangements.
Pokey & Tav were added to Magic's pasture and all went smoothly. We've added corral panels outside this pasture so that the slow eaters (Tav and Pokey) can take their time eating without having to put them in the pasture while its growing.
Now we have two empty pastures on the 'barn side' ready for aerating, fertilizing, and seeding! We'll let them grow for (ideally) 60 days before switching up the herds again.
Pokey and Betsy will no longer be "stall horses" - they are both going to enjoy the luxury of 24 hour pasture!
Shellie and JW will remain in the stalls with pals Satin and Dancer until further notice.
I am typing this update while in my Epidemiological Methods class... so I'm going to cut this short!
See you at the barn!
Kathy
We finally received our soil sample test results back -- the pH, Phospohorus, and Potash (potassium) are at perfect levels. Hooray! That means we don't need to add lime to adjust the pH. They do recommend adding 50 lbs of Nitrogen per acre. The don't test for Nitrogen but they say that for grazing pasture they always recommend adding Nitrogen.
So, we have the Nitrogen, the Pensacola Bahia grass seed, the seed spreader/aerator, the herbicide and backpack sprayer. We're good to go.
Betsy, Dancer, and Shellie were moved about 5 days ago to Pasture 4 with Jedi, Ufir, and Molly. Molly was thrilled to see her younger lady friends and ran around with them until everyone settled down. Molly has buddied up with Betsy and they all seem very content with the new herd arrangements.
Pokey & Tav were added to Magic's pasture and all went smoothly. We've added corral panels outside this pasture so that the slow eaters (Tav and Pokey) can take their time eating without having to put them in the pasture while its growing.
Now we have two empty pastures on the 'barn side' ready for aerating, fertilizing, and seeding! We'll let them grow for (ideally) 60 days before switching up the herds again.
Pokey and Betsy will no longer be "stall horses" - they are both going to enjoy the luxury of 24 hour pasture!
Shellie and JW will remain in the stalls with pals Satin and Dancer until further notice.
I am typing this update while in my Epidemiological Methods class... so I'm going to cut this short!
See you at the barn!
Kathy
Friday, March 19, 2010
Spring Time is Here!
It will officially be spring so soon I can taste it!
We had Cindy from the UF IFAS extension office give us a consultation on our pasture management. She's quite the expert and had an answer for all our questions.
We love to share any knowledge we gain so here's what we've learned (over the past year from research and confirmed by the expert):
-- As far as pasture tolerance goes, experts recommend 2 acres per horse. Our farm is closer to 1.75 horses to 2 acres.
-- Now is the time to kill the weeds! We have perennial weeds popping up everywhere - geranium, stinging nettle - so we will be using herbicide (a 2, 4-D will kill these broadleaf weeds), safely of course.
-- We will be seeding all the pastures of "this side" of the farm. That includes the jump field (pasture 1), pasture 2 (with the burn pile), and pasture 3 (by the hay barn). We will need to aerate the pastures first, then seed, then drag or aerate again. We will be using Tifton 9 (a type of Bahia grass).
-- The horses cannot be on the grass for (ideally) 60 days! Yikes! So we'll be combining herds as previously blogged (Tav & Pokey over with Magic's pasture, the girls & JW's herd over with the oldies in Pasture 4). The Donkeys will probably live in the round pen or arena if we decide to see the paddock area.
-- We will be moving the jumps!!! The new jump pasture will be in Pasture 2. There is more tree cover in Pasture 2 so less grass will grow. Pasture 1 (where the jumps are now) makes a better grazing area. But no jumping while the seeds are growing. As an alternative you will be able to set the jumps up around the farm (just not in a pasture).
This will all be happening in just a few days, stay tuned!
More to come...
We had Cindy from the UF IFAS extension office give us a consultation on our pasture management. She's quite the expert and had an answer for all our questions.
We love to share any knowledge we gain so here's what we've learned (over the past year from research and confirmed by the expert):
-- As far as pasture tolerance goes, experts recommend 2 acres per horse. Our farm is closer to 1.75 horses to 2 acres.
-- Now is the time to kill the weeds! We have perennial weeds popping up everywhere - geranium, stinging nettle - so we will be using herbicide (a 2, 4-D will kill these broadleaf weeds), safely of course.
-- We will be seeding all the pastures of "this side" of the farm. That includes the jump field (pasture 1), pasture 2 (with the burn pile), and pasture 3 (by the hay barn). We will need to aerate the pastures first, then seed, then drag or aerate again. We will be using Tifton 9 (a type of Bahia grass).
-- The horses cannot be on the grass for (ideally) 60 days! Yikes! So we'll be combining herds as previously blogged (Tav & Pokey over with Magic's pasture, the girls & JW's herd over with the oldies in Pasture 4). The Donkeys will probably live in the round pen or arena if we decide to see the paddock area.
-- We will be moving the jumps!!! The new jump pasture will be in Pasture 2. There is more tree cover in Pasture 2 so less grass will grow. Pasture 1 (where the jumps are now) makes a better grazing area. But no jumping while the seeds are growing. As an alternative you will be able to set the jumps up around the farm (just not in a pasture).
This will all be happening in just a few days, stay tuned!
More to come...
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
What's new? Be ready!
Same old, same old here at the farm.
Blankets on, blankets off. Horses in, horses out.
Some minor changes you will notice:
Tav is being kept alone in the paddock during the day to keep his mom happy - no playing with an ouchy hip! Pokey and Tav did not appreciate this change and both have been fairly stressed. To reduce the stress as much as possible I've allowed Bodhi to stay with Pokey during the day and Tie to stay with Tav at night. That way Tav has company that he won't be inclined to play with. During the day Tav can see his buddies just over the fence and although he's still feeling lonely he is adjusting slowly. Hopefully he won't be kept separate from his pals for very long - he does enjoy a good romp with Pokey.
The donkeys are hanging in the arena for the time being. If you would like to use the arena you are welcome to halter the donks and put them in stalls opposite one another so they can see each other (they are very bonded and there is no reason to cause them undue stress).
The mower is still incapacitated. When we find a few moments we will replace the spark plug to see if that's the issue. In the mean time, please keep dumping as far back in the pile as possible.
We will be seeding the property before the end of the month. The seed will need about two weeks to take root and grow a few inches. Horses can not be on the pasture at all for those two weeks. So here's the plan:
(1) We'll be testing Pokey out with Magic separately. If they do well, we'll try them both with the other boys (Cas, Bodhi, Tav, Dusty). I don't anticipate any issues. Pokey has a high play drive and so does Magic. Neither are aggressive alpha horses. Tav will have to deal with some boo-boos because he will have to be pastured with them. They will all go in Pasture 5.
(2) Besty, Dancer, Shellie, and Tie will go out with Molly, Ufir, and Jedi.
(3) That leaves Satin and JW. I may try them with the above herd as long as all goes well.
(4) The donkeys will be kept in the round pen during the day.
So we will have 3 empty pastures and a paddock on the 'barn side' that will have to remain empty until the grass grows. There can be no jumping or riding in the pastures during that time. After the approximate two weeks of growth we can switch horses to 'this' side for two weeks while we seed the other side.
As usual, I will keep you posted!
Blankets on, blankets off. Horses in, horses out.
Some minor changes you will notice:
Tav is being kept alone in the paddock during the day to keep his mom happy - no playing with an ouchy hip! Pokey and Tav did not appreciate this change and both have been fairly stressed. To reduce the stress as much as possible I've allowed Bodhi to stay with Pokey during the day and Tie to stay with Tav at night. That way Tav has company that he won't be inclined to play with. During the day Tav can see his buddies just over the fence and although he's still feeling lonely he is adjusting slowly. Hopefully he won't be kept separate from his pals for very long - he does enjoy a good romp with Pokey.
The donkeys are hanging in the arena for the time being. If you would like to use the arena you are welcome to halter the donks and put them in stalls opposite one another so they can see each other (they are very bonded and there is no reason to cause them undue stress).
The mower is still incapacitated. When we find a few moments we will replace the spark plug to see if that's the issue. In the mean time, please keep dumping as far back in the pile as possible.
We will be seeding the property before the end of the month. The seed will need about two weeks to take root and grow a few inches. Horses can not be on the pasture at all for those two weeks. So here's the plan:
(1) We'll be testing Pokey out with Magic separately. If they do well, we'll try them both with the other boys (Cas, Bodhi, Tav, Dusty). I don't anticipate any issues. Pokey has a high play drive and so does Magic. Neither are aggressive alpha horses. Tav will have to deal with some boo-boos because he will have to be pastured with them. They will all go in Pasture 5.
(2) Besty, Dancer, Shellie, and Tie will go out with Molly, Ufir, and Jedi.
(3) That leaves Satin and JW. I may try them with the above herd as long as all goes well.
(4) The donkeys will be kept in the round pen during the day.
So we will have 3 empty pastures and a paddock on the 'barn side' that will have to remain empty until the grass grows. There can be no jumping or riding in the pastures during that time. After the approximate two weeks of growth we can switch horses to 'this' side for two weeks while we seed the other side.
As usual, I will keep you posted!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Kindness makes a Happy Barn!
Those of you who have been out to the barn over the weekend may have spotted the new board in the barn aisle-way. It's titled, "Be Kind and keep a Happy Barn!" Or something like that.
Why is it there and who does it apply to?
It applies to everyone, and clearly these are principles that should be upheld in life, not just at the barn. But I slapped 'em up on the wall as a reminder because I know we are all so busy and often forget about the important things - being considerate!
Let me be clear. No one has been directly negligent or rude. This silly little dry-erase board is simply a reminder in our barn setting.
So, that is who it applies to and that's why it's there.
What does it say?
In a nut shell it screams, "BE NICE! BE THOUGHTFUL! BE CONSIDERATE! BE COURTEOUS!" But more specifically:
(1) If your horse drops a pile in a high traffic area (barn aisle way, wash rack, the pavement, right outside a pasture gate), consider the other boarders and grab a pitch fork.
There are 4 plastuc buckets and 3 wheel barrows outside the barn doors. Toss it in there. If you're in the middle of something then just be sure to come back to it and clean it up. No one likes a big steamy pile of manure in their way when they go to hose-off their horse.
(2) If you move it, be thoughtful and put it back when you are done.
This goes for pretty much anything - saddle rack, chairs, mucking tools, blankets, hoses, etc, etc. Not only do these things get in the way, but some items have been ruined as a result of being left out (either getting chewed on by a horse or donkey, getting knocked over and broken, getting rained on, run over by a vehicle...). I have run over a plastic bucket that someone left out and damaged the undercarriage of my car. A wooden saddle rack was left in the rain and knocked over and broken. Blankets left in reach of 'naughty' horses have been torn. Rubber buckets go missing and I am left rushing around to find where it ran off to. We are on hose #3 at the wash rack because it is left unraveled and horses are left tied at the hose and the metal end is squished. We are also on hose-nozzle-sprayer-thing #3 for the same reason.
So, if you move it from its safe place, put it back in its safe place.
(3) If you borrow it, treat it like GOLD and put it back the way you found it.
I love sharing equipment because I know how frustrating it is not to have something. Being able to borrow someone's equipment with prior permission makes life more fun! But make sure to treat it well (treat it better than you would treat your own gear) and put it back exactly the way you found it. Some people like their girths removed after riding. Some like halters clipped back together and hung. If you find it that way, be sure to return it that way. This shows that you care!
(4) If you have any suggestions, requests, or concerns, please let us know! We want to make you happy, not just because we are providing a good service, but we are nice people! We want to help you in any way we are able. Need us to babysit a dog? Trim a cat's nails? Notice a bulb is broken in a stall? Fence down in your pasture? Let us know - that's what we're here for!
We love our horses and their parents! If you have any suggestions to make our barn a happier place for everyone, do tell :)
Monday, February 22, 2010
Shifting Horses
Some of you heard about Satin's recent injury. In light of the growing tension between Satin and Shellie, I have moved Satin in with JW and Tie.
This is the best switch possible for a few reasons - Satin is not "bondy", so JW shouldn't have issue with being separated from her (JW is typically very mare-bonded). Also, Tie probably will not expend enough energy to bite Satin, so I think she's safe. And although many of you are familiar with Satin's crabby expression and pretend nipping, she has never actually bit or kicked another horse. She is very anti-conflict.
This morning was the first time we tried them together and it was incredibly uneventful. Very good news!
I am sure Shellie is happy to have that "lazy, unresponsive" horse out of her pasture =P
You'll notice that sometimes your horse is not in his or her usual pasture. Maybe you wonder if we forgot who goes where! But actually this is a strategy to reduce hay wastage. JW and Tie eat round bales very slowly (Tie doesn't really eat the hay) and the mares eat hay very quickly. So when the girls' bale is very low, we'll switch them in to JW's pasture to eat down his bale. JW and Tie have plenty to eat even when there's 1/6th of a bale left of the girls' round bale. We may keep them switched for a few days until JW finishes off the last of the girls' bale, then we'll put a new bale in, put the girls on the new bale, and by the time we put JW & Tie back in their pasture there is just a little bit left. Once they finish that off they will get a new bale, and the cycle continues.
We'll be seeding several pastures with Bahia and one, possibly two, pastures with millet once Spring is officially here. We should have grass growing long before we re-seed & fertilize (I will eventually write a post about how we choose our seed, fertilizer, and herbicide and the safety issues involved). I expect that we will be able to stop purchasing coastal round bales by the end of March! This will save the farm over $900.00 a month!
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Feel free to comment!
See you at the barn!
This is the best switch possible for a few reasons - Satin is not "bondy", so JW shouldn't have issue with being separated from her (JW is typically very mare-bonded). Also, Tie probably will not expend enough energy to bite Satin, so I think she's safe. And although many of you are familiar with Satin's crabby expression and pretend nipping, she has never actually bit or kicked another horse. She is very anti-conflict.
This morning was the first time we tried them together and it was incredibly uneventful. Very good news!
I am sure Shellie is happy to have that "lazy, unresponsive" horse out of her pasture =P
You'll notice that sometimes your horse is not in his or her usual pasture. Maybe you wonder if we forgot who goes where! But actually this is a strategy to reduce hay wastage. JW and Tie eat round bales very slowly (Tie doesn't really eat the hay) and the mares eat hay very quickly. So when the girls' bale is very low, we'll switch them in to JW's pasture to eat down his bale. JW and Tie have plenty to eat even when there's 1/6th of a bale left of the girls' round bale. We may keep them switched for a few days until JW finishes off the last of the girls' bale, then we'll put a new bale in, put the girls on the new bale, and by the time we put JW & Tie back in their pasture there is just a little bit left. Once they finish that off they will get a new bale, and the cycle continues.
We'll be seeding several pastures with Bahia and one, possibly two, pastures with millet once Spring is officially here. We should have grass growing long before we re-seed & fertilize (I will eventually write a post about how we choose our seed, fertilizer, and herbicide and the safety issues involved). I expect that we will be able to stop purchasing coastal round bales by the end of March! This will save the farm over $900.00 a month!
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Feel free to comment!
See you at the barn!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
The cold remains
Shellie and her boy friend ^. As I near them Shellie wanders off and JW is left standing there ,blaming me for scaring off his lady.
Besty looks good in this picture! I can always tell when her mom comes to visit because her stall is filled with hair! This girl is shedding already!
Here is Shellie carrying on. She's galloping over to shoo Dancer away from her man on the other side of the fence, JW.And in the picture below she's running Satin around for no apparent reason.
Shellie is a "roller". She always has dirt and mud all over her!
Dancer loves her Shellie, and in the image below it's hard to see where the first chestnut ends and the second begins! In the summer Shellie is more of a liver chestnut and it's easier to see their differences.
I tried to get Pokey and Tav playing their games, but as usual, as soon as I bring out the camera, even when I'm stealthy, they quit! :(
So, yeah, it's been cold.
When the temp dipped a few days ago everyone got hot wheat bran mash mixed with their grain. Everyone typically receives about 1/2 scoop of this delicious slop.
The rain has been on and off for the past few days. When it was rainy AND cold, I kept blankets on and was able to stay home on those days to monitor the horses with saturated blankets. Everyone stayed warm despite the awful weather. When the rain stopped, blankets came off, ponies' fur dried, and dry blankets went on. The horses usually tell me when they want their blankets on or if "they'd rather not". And for the past week everyone has been happily accepting their additional warmth!
With highs in the low 50's and the sun shining away I've been taking blankets off in the morning (or I should say that I instruct John to take them off - he deserves the credit for morning feeding these days!). We almost always bring the blankets back to the barn for safe keeping, but on the rare occasion that we are in a rush and don't plan accordingly, the blankets have been left out and subsequently rained on! Good thing we have enough blankets around for back-ups.
Yesterday it was sunny with just a little wind so blankets came off. This morning, however, it was frikkin cold (to put it nicely)!!! So we left blankets on. The high is expected to be about 50, so we thought this would be prudent. No one is going to sweat under their blankets at this temperature, but I hope none of the tougher horses are grumbling under their breath that rolling doesn't feel so nice with this 'thing' on.
Hope you enjoyed the pictures! Today's images were from a few days ago and apparently Shellie was the focus of my camera. She's always doing something worthy of snapping a pic!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Can't this rain wait until Spring?
It's been raining for 15 hours here at the farm. This morning it was a frigid, wet 30 degrees. Luckily the barn was about 45 degrees inside - 7 masticating, blanketed horses tends to warm things up a bit! It rained through the night, through morning feeding, and all afternoon. I checked on the horses periodically, making sure they were keeping warm under their wet blankets. It appears that a few of the blankets are waterproof and a few are not, but either way the blankets are keeping them warm.
The horses are still in the barn. I can't bring myself to toss them out into the miserable, cold rain to slop around in the mud. The horses may disagree! Betsy and Shellie are trying to tell me that I forgot to let them out!
I brought Tav into a stall since he looked so lonely out in the pasture, hiding from the rain under the trees.
Dusty was covered in mud.
Wet Magic face.
Pasture 5 looks like a lake at the gate! I checked under everyone's blanket to see how damp they were and then decide whether or not to take them off. Everyone was warm underneath their blankets - some blankets kept the water off their fur completely, and some didn't. But even the damp-furred ponies were warm. Since it is 45 degrees outside I think it's best to keep the blankets on! Magic and Dusty have dry blankets for back-up. I have a dry blanket that's pretty big, so Cas can use that one. Bodhi's back-up is soaked, so we'll have to dry his.
Cas smudged my camera lens. He's a cutie.
Shellie watching the rain fall from the safety of her stall.
Bodhi has droplets streaming down his long forelock.
Cas's curious ears.
The horses are still in the barn. I can't bring myself to toss them out into the miserable, cold rain to slop around in the mud. The horses may disagree! Betsy and Shellie are trying to tell me that I forgot to let them out!
I brought Tav into a stall since he looked so lonely out in the pasture, hiding from the rain under the trees.
Dusty was covered in mud.
Wet Magic face.
Pasture 5 looks like a lake at the gate! I checked under everyone's blanket to see how damp they were and then decide whether or not to take them off. Everyone was warm underneath their blankets - some blankets kept the water off their fur completely, and some didn't. But even the damp-furred ponies were warm. Since it is 45 degrees outside I think it's best to keep the blankets on! Magic and Dusty have dry blankets for back-up. I have a dry blanket that's pretty big, so Cas can use that one. Bodhi's back-up is soaked, so we'll have to dry his.
Cas smudged my camera lens. He's a cutie.
Shellie watching the rain fall from the safety of her stall.
Bodhi has droplets streaming down his long forelock.
Cas's curious ears.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Quite the downpour
For about 30 minutes this afternoon we had a pretty heavy rain. It came on so quick that I didn't have any time to bring the stall horses into the barn. The the weather is warm and they have some tree cover, so they are probably enjoying it. I can barely see through the gray rainy-ness, but a few horses are still eating hay!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Messy Barn!
The barn has been a disaster lately and we're sorry!
John's mother was diagnosed last week with ovarian cancer. After the diagnosis everything went super fast. She saw cardiologists and anesthesiologists in preparation for surgery to remove the huge mass. She went in for surgery on Tuesday and has been recovering at Shands. Needless to say, John and I have been spending quite a bit of time at the hospital, not to mention the emotional stress involved. So we've been slacking on barn duties.
But don't worry! Your horses' stalls are getting cleaned as usual and everyone's needs are being met. We just haven't had that extra time to tidy up the barn and property like usual.
A round bale exploded at one end of the barn, nearly blocking the entrance. We lost the keys to our truck last week - the key chain also contained the key to the storage barn where our new mini fridge is waiting. We were able to purchase a new key (nope, we didn't have a back-up truck key!) from the dealer. After a heavy rain the keys finally did show up in a pasture! Thankfully we can now get the mini fridge out of storage and into the feed room so your carrots don't mold!
Everything should be back to normal soon and you will start to see swept concrete and raked barn aisles.
I am scheduling a "Work Day" for THIS Sunday, February 7th, from 10am-6pm. We will have to limit it to 3 hours per person (unless you are already doing board exchange, then you can do as much as you need). If you can't make it, don't worry. I will schedule another day in February.
See you at the barn!
John's mother was diagnosed last week with ovarian cancer. After the diagnosis everything went super fast. She saw cardiologists and anesthesiologists in preparation for surgery to remove the huge mass. She went in for surgery on Tuesday and has been recovering at Shands. Needless to say, John and I have been spending quite a bit of time at the hospital, not to mention the emotional stress involved. So we've been slacking on barn duties.
But don't worry! Your horses' stalls are getting cleaned as usual and everyone's needs are being met. We just haven't had that extra time to tidy up the barn and property like usual.
A round bale exploded at one end of the barn, nearly blocking the entrance. We lost the keys to our truck last week - the key chain also contained the key to the storage barn where our new mini fridge is waiting. We were able to purchase a new key (nope, we didn't have a back-up truck key!) from the dealer. After a heavy rain the keys finally did show up in a pasture! Thankfully we can now get the mini fridge out of storage and into the feed room so your carrots don't mold!
Everything should be back to normal soon and you will start to see swept concrete and raked barn aisles.
I am scheduling a "Work Day" for THIS Sunday, February 7th, from 10am-6pm. We will have to limit it to 3 hours per person (unless you are already doing board exchange, then you can do as much as you need). If you can't make it, don't worry. I will schedule another day in February.
See you at the barn!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Delicious hay
It's raining here at the farm. The sky is overcast and dreary. At first light we set out to feed horses in the misty drizzle. Everyone was especially antsy to get out of the stall - not sure why - my guess is the weather.
We dragged some round bales to the pastures who were getting low and did a few barn chores before the sky opened up on us. So here I am, typing a long overdue update on the farm!
Last Saturday - wow, that was already one week ago! - we finally decided on a farm to purchase our grass/legume hay. I have an enormous stack of contacts for hay; some local, some from out of state, some come with recommendations, some test their hay and some don't. So, how did we decide? I will enlighten you on this exciting topic!
(1) Cost
As a facility that strictly boards horses (we do not supplement our pockets by breeding, training, etc) we make very little moo-la. So we have to consider the cost of the hay.
(2) Quality Control
Horses can be sensitive creatures in many ways, particularly with digestion. You feed them 70% alfalfa/30% orchard, then suddenly switch it on them, they might throw a colic-hissy-fit! So of great concern to us is the consistency of the product, and consistent hay is achieved by quality control - testing hay from every batch to ensure it's protein, digestibility, moisture, etc is similar to the other product they sell. Also, as a business we have a budget and we plan ahead. If we plan on purchasing 25 100lb bales of O/A, we don't want to arrive at the distribution site and have to buy 45 60lb bales. We want the same hay every time and we need it to be available all the time (and not "sell out" before we get there).
(3) Professionalism
It is important to us that we support a hay producer that is professional. Your money and our money should go to someone who is treating their customers and employees well. We want good customer service so in the case of an issue (ie, moldy hay) we will be treated professionally. An example of a producer that is "sweet" but not professional is someone who is not punctual. Time is money and we don't have time to wait around. Someone we want to do business with understands this concept.
-- Those are the three primary qualities we searched high and low for. Who did we finally decide to do business with?
Larson's Farm
Larson's Farm came highly recommended by several credentialed individuals, including our vet, Dr. Erica Lacher.
They have a website, which is a huge step above 90% of other sellers, and their customer service was superb. The receptionist was able to answer all my crazy questions and even add her own suggestions. Their products are tested for quality control - bales from every batch are tested. The bales are all weighed when you purchase them - you only pay for the weight of hay that's put in your trailer. It's not a flat fee ($15 from a feed store could get you gray, 60lb bales today and green, 75lb bales in a week). Their hay is fresh, shipped by train or truck (this depends on cost - they choose the cheapest route to keep hay prices down) from western US.
They operate during specified business hours and their employees were very helpful.
With this high quality forage you get the most bang for your buck.
Currently only JW and Pokey are getting this awesome O/A hay. It is $20 per bale. We just started feeding it last week so we are not exactly sure how long a bale will last, but my guess is that it will last a minimum of 10 days (1 flake a day).
If you would like your stall horse to receive O/A, just let me know. If you want to purchase a bale for your pasture horse to feed when you are here (it would be too tricky to try to feed a flake to a pasture horse in the pasture), let me know.
It's still raining and the temperature will drop to 40 degrees tonight. I don't know about you, but I cannot wait until summer!
We dragged some round bales to the pastures who were getting low and did a few barn chores before the sky opened up on us. So here I am, typing a long overdue update on the farm!
Last Saturday - wow, that was already one week ago! - we finally decided on a farm to purchase our grass/legume hay. I have an enormous stack of contacts for hay; some local, some from out of state, some come with recommendations, some test their hay and some don't. So, how did we decide? I will enlighten you on this exciting topic!
(1) Cost
As a facility that strictly boards horses (we do not supplement our pockets by breeding, training, etc) we make very little moo-la. So we have to consider the cost of the hay.
(2) Quality Control
Horses can be sensitive creatures in many ways, particularly with digestion. You feed them 70% alfalfa/30% orchard, then suddenly switch it on them, they might throw a colic-hissy-fit! So of great concern to us is the consistency of the product, and consistent hay is achieved by quality control - testing hay from every batch to ensure it's protein, digestibility, moisture, etc is similar to the other product they sell. Also, as a business we have a budget and we plan ahead. If we plan on purchasing 25 100lb bales of O/A, we don't want to arrive at the distribution site and have to buy 45 60lb bales. We want the same hay every time and we need it to be available all the time (and not "sell out" before we get there).
(3) Professionalism
It is important to us that we support a hay producer that is professional. Your money and our money should go to someone who is treating their customers and employees well. We want good customer service so in the case of an issue (ie, moldy hay) we will be treated professionally. An example of a producer that is "sweet" but not professional is someone who is not punctual. Time is money and we don't have time to wait around. Someone we want to do business with understands this concept.
-- Those are the three primary qualities we searched high and low for. Who did we finally decide to do business with?
Larson's Farm
Larson's Farm came highly recommended by several credentialed individuals, including our vet, Dr. Erica Lacher.
They have a website, which is a huge step above 90% of other sellers, and their customer service was superb. The receptionist was able to answer all my crazy questions and even add her own suggestions. Their products are tested for quality control - bales from every batch are tested. The bales are all weighed when you purchase them - you only pay for the weight of hay that's put in your trailer. It's not a flat fee ($15 from a feed store could get you gray, 60lb bales today and green, 75lb bales in a week). Their hay is fresh, shipped by train or truck (this depends on cost - they choose the cheapest route to keep hay prices down) from western US.
They operate during specified business hours and their employees were very helpful.
With this high quality forage you get the most bang for your buck.
Currently only JW and Pokey are getting this awesome O/A hay. It is $20 per bale. We just started feeding it last week so we are not exactly sure how long a bale will last, but my guess is that it will last a minimum of 10 days (1 flake a day).
If you would like your stall horse to receive O/A, just let me know. If you want to purchase a bale for your pasture horse to feed when you are here (it would be too tricky to try to feed a flake to a pasture horse in the pasture), let me know.
It's still raining and the temperature will drop to 40 degrees tonight. I don't know about you, but I cannot wait until summer!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Who let the horses out, woof, woof, woof
It has been an uneventful week with unhindered daily routines.
John zips through morning feeding at 6:30am, first making a mad dash for the paddock followed by two hunger-crazed donkey monsters. He's got his own efficient routine and all the horses behave wonderfully for him, with the exception of Tie... Kidding!
In the evenings after Tie finishes his massive quantities of soaked beat pulp, alfalfa cubes, senior feed, corn oil, probiotics, and fat supplements (did I forget something?), we have been putting him out with Tav, who takes his own sweet time eating his dinner. So it actually works perfectly. We don't have to wait on either horse since they both take about the same amount of time to eat. Funny thing is, Tie eats about 50 times more than Tav, but Tav just loves to savor every single little morsel of grain.
In the mornings John soaks feed, feeds the barn horses, brings Tie in, feeds Tav, then heads out to feed the boys' pasture. The boys have a tendency to carry their big rubber buckets around (Bodhi *cough*). We can't just ask Magic to follow us to a bowl and pour his grain. Why, you ask? Because of the dark horse spirit living in the woods. Magic must eat as far away as possible from the spirit's domain - the evil woods. Magic always, always eats facing said woods.
The other boys don't seem phased by the dark horse spirit floating about in their pasture. Dusty pins his ears and dives in to his bucket, Cas and Bodhi arrive at the next bucket side-by-side. Cas gets fed, then Bodhi gets his 10 pellets.
From there John heads down to feed the oldies; Jedi, Ufir, and Molly. If you haven't pet Jedi in a while, I encourage you to feel for his ribs. He has gained so much weight!
John gets back to the barn, lets JW and Tie out, then the girls, then Pokey (because by now Tav might actually be finished eating!).
Be sure to always close the gates behind you! We came home last week and the driveway gate had been left open and two horses had somehow escaped their pasture. The horses were still on the property, but we have had horses escape and make it down to the paved road before. Please close the gate behind you even if someone else has left it open. Thanks!
Today should be a rainy, dreary day. I hope you get lots of relaxation time and stay dry!
John zips through morning feeding at 6:30am, first making a mad dash for the paddock followed by two hunger-crazed donkey monsters. He's got his own efficient routine and all the horses behave wonderfully for him, with the exception of Tie... Kidding!
In the evenings after Tie finishes his massive quantities of soaked beat pulp, alfalfa cubes, senior feed, corn oil, probiotics, and fat supplements (did I forget something?), we have been putting him out with Tav, who takes his own sweet time eating his dinner. So it actually works perfectly. We don't have to wait on either horse since they both take about the same amount of time to eat. Funny thing is, Tie eats about 50 times more than Tav, but Tav just loves to savor every single little morsel of grain.
In the mornings John soaks feed, feeds the barn horses, brings Tie in, feeds Tav, then heads out to feed the boys' pasture. The boys have a tendency to carry their big rubber buckets around (Bodhi *cough*). We can't just ask Magic to follow us to a bowl and pour his grain. Why, you ask? Because of the dark horse spirit living in the woods. Magic must eat as far away as possible from the spirit's domain - the evil woods. Magic always, always eats facing said woods.
The other boys don't seem phased by the dark horse spirit floating about in their pasture. Dusty pins his ears and dives in to his bucket, Cas and Bodhi arrive at the next bucket side-by-side. Cas gets fed, then Bodhi gets his 10 pellets.
From there John heads down to feed the oldies; Jedi, Ufir, and Molly. If you haven't pet Jedi in a while, I encourage you to feel for his ribs. He has gained so much weight!
John gets back to the barn, lets JW and Tie out, then the girls, then Pokey (because by now Tav might actually be finished eating!).
Be sure to always close the gates behind you! We came home last week and the driveway gate had been left open and two horses had somehow escaped their pasture. The horses were still on the property, but we have had horses escape and make it down to the paved road before. Please close the gate behind you even if someone else has left it open. Thanks!
Today should be a rainy, dreary day. I hope you get lots of relaxation time and stay dry!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Poor Raccoon
Late afternoon today I went out to play with Satin. I was armed with my video camera so that I could capture our play session for future reference. I was walking across the pasture towards the herd of girls, filming as I walked, when suddenly I realized there was a raccoon in the view finder.
He was halfway between the 4 girls and me, just standing there very stiff. At first I thought he could have been annoyed out of his napping spot since the girls were trudging around in the woods. The landlord's dog was barking, too, so maybe he scared him out? But as minutes ticked away he remained in that same spot, in the sunshine, barely taking two or three steps. The girls finally noticed me and started approaching.
Of course now I'm concerned about rabies and Shellie, followed by Dancer, start towards the peculiar creature in their pasture. I rush over, shooing them away, still filming. (I'll add he video later)
The raccoon didn't even move or respond to the horses coming within 12 inches from him! I knew something was very wrong. I called Alachua County Animal Services right away and they said they'd dispatch some officers immediately.
As I was trying to get Dancer, Shellie, and Betsy away from the raccoon's general vicinity, Satin came out of the tree line, walked right up to the raccoon, and while I am yelling and rushing up to her she nearly touched noses! You can imagine how nervous I was that she was going to physically touch him! She finally came to me, I haltered her, and got all 4 girls to leave the pasture. I locked them out and waited for ACAS.
Shellie found a stash of mints in my brush tote in the barn and spilled the tote and the bag of mints all over the ground. She only ate about 5 pieces before I cleaned up her mess. I put the mints in the feed room and while my back was turned she knocked the brush tote over again. Curious girl!
JW spent the entire time hollering for the girls while they were out of sight playing in the barn. He was very worried and galloped across the pasture, yelling for them. The girls weren't phased. Poor JW! Tie just stood there watching JW make his pass.
After ACAS picked up the sick raccoon the girls were able to return to their pasture, much to their disappointment!
I'm glad the raccoon doesn't have to suffer any longer.
He was halfway between the 4 girls and me, just standing there very stiff. At first I thought he could have been annoyed out of his napping spot since the girls were trudging around in the woods. The landlord's dog was barking, too, so maybe he scared him out? But as minutes ticked away he remained in that same spot, in the sunshine, barely taking two or three steps. The girls finally noticed me and started approaching.
Of course now I'm concerned about rabies and Shellie, followed by Dancer, start towards the peculiar creature in their pasture. I rush over, shooing them away, still filming. (I'll add he video later)
The raccoon didn't even move or respond to the horses coming within 12 inches from him! I knew something was very wrong. I called Alachua County Animal Services right away and they said they'd dispatch some officers immediately.
As I was trying to get Dancer, Shellie, and Betsy away from the raccoon's general vicinity, Satin came out of the tree line, walked right up to the raccoon, and while I am yelling and rushing up to her she nearly touched noses! You can imagine how nervous I was that she was going to physically touch him! She finally came to me, I haltered her, and got all 4 girls to leave the pasture. I locked them out and waited for ACAS.
Shellie found a stash of mints in my brush tote in the barn and spilled the tote and the bag of mints all over the ground. She only ate about 5 pieces before I cleaned up her mess. I put the mints in the feed room and while my back was turned she knocked the brush tote over again. Curious girl!
JW spent the entire time hollering for the girls while they were out of sight playing in the barn. He was very worried and galloped across the pasture, yelling for them. The girls weren't phased. Poor JW! Tie just stood there watching JW make his pass.
After ACAS picked up the sick raccoon the girls were able to return to their pasture, much to their disappointment!
I'm glad the raccoon doesn't have to suffer any longer.
Monday, January 18, 2010
The rain has come and gone
We had a tremendous amount of rainfall over the weekend - based on the amount of water in the rubber feed buckets in the pastures, we estimate about 3 inches.
Having grown up in flat Sarasota, I am used to standing water after a downpour lasting for weeks. Especially during the winter when the ground doesn't seem to soak up any moisture.
This property is a different story! We've had torrential downpours and the puddles have lasted only a day or two. That was the case this weekend. We trudged through sopping wet mud to feed horses Sunday morning, but by Sunday afternoon the ground was hardly damp!
We are very pleased to have "high and dry" pastures for the horses.
Some of you may know exactly what goes in to maintaining and managing a boarding facility and some of you may not have as much experience with this side of the barn. For the record, boarding horses is not at all lucrative! As a matter of fact, for the many hours that John and I put into the farm, be it feeding, cleaning, fixing, or planning, we make roughly $2.75 per hour. But we love that we can provide a wonderful environment for wonderful people and their wonderful horses!
That said, we continue to try to offer ways to help YOU save money. We offer a limited board exchange "program" that allows you to do some work to reduce the cost of boarding. We basically pay you about $7/hour (this is 3 times more than we make when we're the ones doing the work). We can't pay everyone to work as frequently as they want or else we would be paying for feed out of our very empty pockets! But we do want to offer opportunities for you to not only take a few bucks off your board, but also get involved on the farm.
I mentioned in previous posts that we'll be offering a "Work Day". There will be a handful of tasks to accomplish such as picking manure from pastures, picking up tree limbs, picking up old hay from pastures, and so on. We'll likely have to restrict the amount of hours, but I think it will be fun and worth your time!
If you're interested, let me know!
See you at the barn!
Having grown up in flat Sarasota, I am used to standing water after a downpour lasting for weeks. Especially during the winter when the ground doesn't seem to soak up any moisture.
This property is a different story! We've had torrential downpours and the puddles have lasted only a day or two. That was the case this weekend. We trudged through sopping wet mud to feed horses Sunday morning, but by Sunday afternoon the ground was hardly damp!
We are very pleased to have "high and dry" pastures for the horses.
Some of you may know exactly what goes in to maintaining and managing a boarding facility and some of you may not have as much experience with this side of the barn. For the record, boarding horses is not at all lucrative! As a matter of fact, for the many hours that John and I put into the farm, be it feeding, cleaning, fixing, or planning, we make roughly $2.75 per hour. But we love that we can provide a wonderful environment for wonderful people and their wonderful horses!
That said, we continue to try to offer ways to help YOU save money. We offer a limited board exchange "program" that allows you to do some work to reduce the cost of boarding. We basically pay you about $7/hour (this is 3 times more than we make when we're the ones doing the work). We can't pay everyone to work as frequently as they want or else we would be paying for feed out of our very empty pockets! But we do want to offer opportunities for you to not only take a few bucks off your board, but also get involved on the farm.
I mentioned in previous posts that we'll be offering a "Work Day". There will be a handful of tasks to accomplish such as picking manure from pastures, picking up tree limbs, picking up old hay from pastures, and so on. We'll likely have to restrict the amount of hours, but I think it will be fun and worth your time!
If you're interested, let me know!
See you at the barn!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Catch-up
We're all caught up!
John and I rolled 12 of the 16 round bales that were delivered last weekend into the hay barn yesterday. When unloading them from the big delivery trailer they often land on their flat side. When it comes time to relocate them into the safety of the hay barn we have to flip them on to their round side, and man, is it hard! These bales weigh about 750lbs! It's especially difficult to flip a bale when you're laughing... And then add in the extra challenge of a gaping whole eaten out of the core by two fat donkeys. It's hard to roll an uneven round bale!
But we managed to roll them into the hay barn, cover them with tarps, and drag the remaining 3 bales to their new pastures. None of the pastures were actually out of hay, but the horses still think 'new' hay is sooo much more exciting than that 'stuff' they've been eating for five whole days.
Pokey and Tav were very polite when we had to drag through their pasture and out the back gate to bring Pasture 5 a bale. They both minded me when I told them to "keep back". But as we raced to get into Pasture 5 before the boys noticed, they started galloping towards us! "FOOD!"
John and I have this routine down pat and the horses have finally started to realize that they are not allowed to eat the hay as we're unloading it! We keep them away from the drag for safety reasons, but also don't want them taking a bite out of the bale netting.
I stripped 6 stalls yesterday - removing almost everything from Pokey, Tie, JW, Betsy, Dancer, and Shellie's stalls. Then we brought two enormous truck loads of shavings and divvied it up among the freshly cleaned stalls.
I spread about 15 loads of old shavings around the area along the path towards the hay barn. It's hard to say when an area is 'at capacity' for being used to spread manure, but I plan to start spreading elsewhere soon. But now that the area is all cleared of brush I will be making it into a play area! Barrels, cones, tarps hanging from the trees - this is going to be fun! Perfect for doing your Natural Horsemanship training and bomb-proofing.
A special thanks to Alex for picking up several wheel barrels of manure from the pastures! I love to see a pasture without piles of manure in it - the way it should be!
If you're interested in working off a portion of your board, consider joining us on a "work day". Stay tuned!
John and I rolled 12 of the 16 round bales that were delivered last weekend into the hay barn yesterday. When unloading them from the big delivery trailer they often land on their flat side. When it comes time to relocate them into the safety of the hay barn we have to flip them on to their round side, and man, is it hard! These bales weigh about 750lbs! It's especially difficult to flip a bale when you're laughing... And then add in the extra challenge of a gaping whole eaten out of the core by two fat donkeys. It's hard to roll an uneven round bale!
But we managed to roll them into the hay barn, cover them with tarps, and drag the remaining 3 bales to their new pastures. None of the pastures were actually out of hay, but the horses still think 'new' hay is sooo much more exciting than that 'stuff' they've been eating for five whole days.
Pokey and Tav were very polite when we had to drag through their pasture and out the back gate to bring Pasture 5 a bale. They both minded me when I told them to "keep back". But as we raced to get into Pasture 5 before the boys noticed, they started galloping towards us! "FOOD!"
John and I have this routine down pat and the horses have finally started to realize that they are not allowed to eat the hay as we're unloading it! We keep them away from the drag for safety reasons, but also don't want them taking a bite out of the bale netting.
I stripped 6 stalls yesterday - removing almost everything from Pokey, Tie, JW, Betsy, Dancer, and Shellie's stalls. Then we brought two enormous truck loads of shavings and divvied it up among the freshly cleaned stalls.
I spread about 15 loads of old shavings around the area along the path towards the hay barn. It's hard to say when an area is 'at capacity' for being used to spread manure, but I plan to start spreading elsewhere soon. But now that the area is all cleared of brush I will be making it into a play area! Barrels, cones, tarps hanging from the trees - this is going to be fun! Perfect for doing your Natural Horsemanship training and bomb-proofing.
A special thanks to Alex for picking up several wheel barrels of manure from the pastures! I love to see a pasture without piles of manure in it - the way it should be!
If you're interested in working off a portion of your board, consider joining us on a "work day". Stay tuned!
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