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| Hurricane Sandy - Courtesy of NOAA |
John and I brought the horses in around 3 p.m., just as the winds were beginning to pick up. Last out of the paddock, Harley pranced his way to the ramp like he was heading into a race. Then he proceeded to snap his halter (again) in the cross ties, totaling the crown piece. He's usually fine tied, but I think the stormy weather combined with the "hole" in the front of the barn was too much. He freaked out in the same manner on Saturday too. That view over the barrier into the barn cellar is too scary for him. So he got a grooming in his cozy stall. Rolex, our brave brumby girl (the man from Snowy River would like her!) stood well, even when she saw a small tree fall in the woods across the road. Ruffy, always happy to have lots of rubs and attention, was our best behaved girl, as always, in the cross ties.
While we groomed the horses, the barn beams creaked under gale force winds, sending leaves flying sideways. With headlamps and flashlights, we de-ticked and de-mudded our ponies. Thankfully, we had full water containers on hand. With the power now out at the house, we had to fill the last bucket using the emergency supply. I had debated camping out at the barn, just to make sure everything would be fine. But it was a toss-up; listen to 150 year old barn beams creak, or listen to 150 year old trees groan at the house. John assured me the horses would be fine and we headed home, dodging detritus, and leaning limbs in the roadway.
This morning, I awoke to cloudy skies, but it was quiet--strangely so, after last night's howling winds. The barn fared fine--only one pane of glass fell out of Gator's stall, landing softly in the grass, unbroken. Pete had his generator up and running, so we had water again. I feel lucky we dodged the big one last night. I hope the equine communities south of us, especially those near the coast, remained safe, or found a safe haven from Sandy.
Glad you weathered the storm ok. I hope we hear from the other East Coast bloggers soon.
ReplyDeleteHi there and thanks for the kind words. We actually did fine in our part of Pennsylvania - much better than so many. Our house lost power, but not the barn. I could not get our boys in at noon. They were determined to wait it out in the shed. At 4pm I tried again, this time with my mom's help (her name is Sandy!) and we did it! All three were safely in for the night. Today our pastures are a flooded mess but I was able to put the boys out for a few hours. I ended up riding Pie in the rain this afternoon late just to get the edge off of him. He was higher than a kite and the ride was more flighty than I would normally like, but a loop around the farm was exactly what he needed to face another night inside.
ReplyDeleteSoooo glad to hear that you all are ok and your sweet horses did fine. I worried about your barn but it sounds like it worked out perfectly. So glad you have water in the barn now. Carrying water is a big chore!
Glad that all is becoming normal!
ReplyDeleteWhew!
Had everyone in prayer...and now as i am rehabbing my mare, ( hope to post about her soon) it seems appropriate to keep on prayin', as folks are in different states of rebuilding too.
Loved your Brumby comment on Rolex! I got to ride one right on the Snowy river at the Ocean once!