Preparing for winter

Winter is just around the corner, teasing some folks with scant layers of snow, a tickling reminder that we had better be prepared. Our farrier, St. Butch, had an inch on the ground at his house this past Sunday--a mere hour or so north of us. Last year, we'd already received our first big snowfall with the Halloween storm. We'll see what Mother Nature has in store for us soon enough.

Not only am I preparing for winter at home, but at the barn as well. John sprung for a "shelter-in-a-box" so the horses would have a run-in shed while we are both at work. I'm hoping it will hold up to winter's brutish winds and snow loads. The past few days have put it to the test with gusting winds, day and night. We will have to keep the roof clear of snow with a broom, but I'll have peace of mind when I'm 30 minutes away at work, knowing the horses have an option. Rolex has shown no fear of it (our brave brumby), but Harley and Ruffy might need to get used the the flapping green structure sprouted in their pasture!

I'm trying to pack the "safe" pounds on Harley as we head into winter. This involves a nice mash made of up from rice bran, flax seed, beet pulp, corn oil, and alfalfa-blend hay. He and the girls love this warm concoction, but heating water by the bucket is slow, especially when the temperatures are down in the twenties. So John purchased a nice hotpot--instant hot water for the mash, and for a nice cup of tea!
We've got little containers with sugar and tea, ready to heat up our innards and extremities while the horses slurp up mash. This is a must-have barn accessory when there is no running hot water. I wonder why we didn't get one sooner? After waiting for slow-to-warm buckets in freezing temperatures, I finally said, "We need a little hotpot here." And this is what I got for my birthday! Thank you, John--and the ponies thank you too.

"Yummy, yummy, yummy, I've got bran mash in my tummy."

On these cold nights, I like knowing they've had a little warm treat to tide them over until morning. Oh, and it smells good too! I've got the recipe down just right--mix up a rice bran slurry, with flax seed, add oil, and beat until smooth. Pour into pre-soaked beet pulp and stir until blended. Feed to happy horses.



Ruffy and Harley got their shoes pulled this week; another step towards winter. Here's a shot of Harley and John coming in for dinner Sunday night--my two best boys.

Fall follies

Morning gang waiting for breakfast

We have enjoyed some wonderful fall riding now that the bugs have retreated and the days are cool. Unfortunately, the diminished available riding hours have forced me to give up after work ambles. So we savor our weekends, squeezing in whatever work needs to get done around the house and the barn before the snow flies. I heard northern Aroostook County received their first four inches of the white stuff. Our days are numbered. We still need to replace a fence post before Harley pulls it down with his front teeth. And our "run-in shed in a box" needs the canopy attached. I'm hoping all the horses will accept it as a form of shelter, even claustrophobic Ruffy, so they will have access to protection when the weather is bad and we're stuck at work.

Mother Nature has sent gusting winds our way. It seems we've had days and days of leaves flying through the air. Harley, being his usual silly self, spooks at squirrels, leaves, birds in the bushes, you name it! But I expect this from him this time of year. He's always more than happy to head home at a springy trot. This past Monday, John and I headed home when Rolex stopped and let Harley take the lead--this was a mistake! As we approached the brook at Orris Falls, a runner popped out of the woods and Harley whirled around, spooking Rolex as well, as they began to run away. Thankfully, Rolex pulled up and Harley right behind her--no brakes with that bitless bridle. They snorted and watched the runner trotting along the trail by the beaver pond. Hmm...we'll see what happens the next time I try to ride solo in that neck of the woods.

This time last year, we experienced an earthquake and weathered Hurricane Sandy. Thankfully, we had no storm damage. And since we still had no power in the barn due to the "cave-in debacle",  it really made little impact on our daily barn chores. We were used to functioning by flashlight, headlamp, and lanterns. Water was lugged from home in canisters. And adding to the fun--loggers were cutting in the woods and churning up the pastures as they hauled out logs with heavy equipment.

Well this fall brought its own challenges; mostly in the form of vet bills. I found a nail in Ruffy's hoof last Friday night as I did the rounds. Somehow, I'd managed to leave my phone at home--what a mistake. Sixteen miles and forty minutes later, I had spoken with John, and the vet was on her way. Ooooh boy--the x-ray revealed a bent nail curving right up into Ruffy's heel, thankfully missing the bone. She was a stellar patient, even with her sore foot, but she was not happy to be stabled over the weekend! With her buddies romping outside, she was a bit of a handful. John and I hand walked her, although she was feeling good enough to prance around like she was heading to the track. The nice green grass only held her interest for a wee bit.

Whoa, race mare!

Bandages and antibiotics to have done the trick. She felt good enough today to wheel, buck, and canter off into the windy pasture with her buddies. So as I pay off Harley's visit at the five-star spa (aka New England Equine Medical Center), we wait for another bill in the mail for Ruffy's emergency visit.  And the final clincher was buying more hay at a premium price. But I can't complain since it is some of the loveliest hay I've ever seen--a nice clover, timothy, alfalfa blend we purchased from a hay farmer in Buxton. The ponies have sampled it and relished every bite! So much for hopes of maybe attending Equine Affaire...maybe another year.

So all the woes have been a setback in the house-hunting department. But the market slows down in the winter, and this may be a good thing. It will give me time to stash some cash while we muddle through another winter out on Thurrell Road. Much as I love the location and its access to prime trail riding, I would much prefer having the gang in the back yard where we can monitor everything better--and of course, I can go out and give Harley a late-night kiss goodnight!

To be a Long Rider

As a teen, I read a book called Last of the Saddle Tramps. It was about a 63 year old woman from Minot, Maine with little resources, but a lot of pluck, who saddled up a horse named Tarzan and, with her little dog in tow, headed for California. This sounded like an amazing adventure. I've often wondered what it would be like to experience the nation from horseback. My summers as a counselor at Catherine Capers were spent camping and riding around our neck of the Vermont hinterlands. No, it wasn't much fun when it rained, but I took the bad with the good--and most of it was very good!

Day 2 of a 5 day summer trip--campsite know as "Aunt Eunice's" on the banks of the Mettawee River

Where am I going with this? Well, this past Sunday I saw a woman with two horses out in a hay field taking a break in the late afternoon sun. I thought, "Boy, wish my horses ground tied like hers!" That evening, while tapping away on Facebook, I found out she was riding across the country from California to Maine with a destination point of Minot, Maine--home to Messanie Wilkins--where they will be hosting a parade in her honor. Now I'm kicking myself for not stopping and talking to her. What a fascinating conversation it would have been! And I probably would have offered her stabling if it was OK with our barn's owner. But I was feeling poorly from a cold and wanted to get out to the barn and feed the ponies before it got dark. So I see it as a missed opportunity.

For those readers interested in long distance riders, check out the Long Riders Guild website. And to follow Sea G Rhydr, go to www.freerangerodeo.com and follow their adventure. They also have a facebook page under the same name. Their plan is to be in Minot by November--she's almost there!

Oh, to be a long rider --at least for the summer! Here are a few more pictures from my youth!

Day 3 of the 5 day trip--Rush Hollow

Day 4 of the 5 Day trip--sunrise along Flower Brook

 **Note the sheets, proof of global warming! Late August nights used to be chilly in Vermont.

And when he was good, he was very, very good...

...and when he was bad he was horrid!

Picture courtesy of www.thelwell.org.uk

Yes, my dear sweet Halawa Moon was a terrible Gnarley Harley on Saturday. I haven't had as difficult a ride in two years! Granted, he hadn't been ridden since last weekend, and the weather had a little nip in the air, but he was full of himself.

I started out with some schooling in the ring; trotting, circling, etc. just to loosen him up. He wasn't being too bad there, so silly me decided we should head down to Orris Falls before it got too dark.
We only made it about half way down the road before he stopped. There was a car parked on edge of the road--oh heavens! Then he began to back up. If any my readers have been watching the Retired Racehorse makeover the past few months, you might have heard about Dale Simanton of Newell, SD and his Gate to Great Geldings, and especially his OTTB cowpony in training Drake's Dancer, aka Duck. Well if Harley had a steer on the end of a rope, his skills at backing up and keeping the rope taut would have made him a great gelding too! But since I was asking him to go forward, he was NOT being a great gelding. I sat there and let him stare at it until he swung his head to the side and contemplated heading back home. No way--we were going to get past this scary Honda Civic. So rather than go sideways into the ditch and prance in the road, I jumped off and led him...at least until he stopped again! About 5 minutes later , we finally made it to the car. Then John called, so he had to stand there between the car and the turkeys, while I talked on the phone. Once we'd cleared the turkeys, I remounted, only to have him stop and try to be a cow-less cowpony again. This time it was scary kids playing in their yard up ahead.  I dismounted, led him down to Orris Falls, and once we were in the woods, remounted. He seemed to settle a bit and we got in a nice trot, but by now daylight was fast fading and the long shadows were giving Harley the willies. I forged on and we turned around on MY choice. He was raring to go and had a speedy trot, but came back down somewhat willingly. But once we'd cleared the Orris Falls gate, the prancing began.  Oooo boy, I knew I was if for a fun ride back home.

When he's keyed up, trying to make him walk just makes him worse, so I let him jog back up the roadside, head in the air like a giraffe, but ready for anything. At the bottom of the hill, he became difficult, head cranked to the side like a racehorse, all stiff up and down like a pogo stick, snorting, plunging and trying to take off at the same time. I didn't relish the idea of a mad gallop up to the barn alongside a road with a blind curve. So I sat down and rode it out, thankfully not getting tossed, but somehow, managed to jamb the thumb and pinky of my left hand. With all that head tossing, he must have rammed my fingers. The silly part was when we rode into the barnyard, he gave a big snort, stopped by the gate, and just stood there as if to say, "Man, that was a workout. Aren't we done now?"

Oh my, what a silly horse. He thought he was going to get away with his shenanigans, and since I didn't let him turn around and go home, he decided to toss in some extra fun!

Golden days of September

Last weekend we took a ride around the fence line, and checked out last year's logging tracks. We also practiced opening and closing gates from horseback. The horses did well, but the double gates were tough to line up and close simultaneously. Farewell, September--October's brilliant colors are just around the corner.

With the days getting shorter, it's harder to get in weekday riding after work. So that leaves the weekend warrior rides on Sundays for John and I.

Autumn's cool temperatures are finally killing off the bugs with a few hardy mosquitoes hanging on to their last warm days. We used the headnets on Sunday to keep those pesky guys off our ponies' ears. Rolex is still taking a break while she grows more hoof. That leaves our Ruffy to accompany Harley through the wilds. She's come a long way from last winter when in a frantic moment, she dropped John in the woods, and headed for home with Harley in tow, and me dusting off my britches (and clutching my chest with a cracked sternum). She still gets a little upset when there is no designated trail and she has to bushwack. I took the lead with Harley, trying to pick the clearest way while moving steadily so she wouldn't panic and bolt. She made it, although she was happy to get out into the open.

This is a cool spot in the remains of an old quarry. I suspect it would be a great home for porcupines.

 

Out on the road to North Point, John snapped a picture of Harley. Of course, he's thinking of heading home and already pointed in that direction! But as you can see from the big smile on my face, I'm laughing at the silly bugger! I'm thankful just to still have him after last month's colic scare.

Ruffy, putting on her best begging face, wheedles some carrots from John. She knows what a soft spot he has for her sweet face!

A daunting week

Harley picking on Vance while the girls watch

I'm taking a vacation this week, but I've only been riding twice, back before all the yucky rain and hot weather descended upon us. But that's o.k. I've got a gazillion things to do around the house to prepare for winter or a sale, whichever comes first. I need to get painting done upstairs, but it's been too humid for that project. My dad gave me a hand fixing broken bolts on the toilet--or I should say, he fixed it while I was at the barn with our equine dentist. I got home and he'd already finished--so much for my plumbing lesson. Then he fixed the cellar switch which has been making scary fizzling sounds lately. I took out the bathroom fan motor to replace, but need to track down which Lowe's has it in stock.

And we looked at a house with 18 acres and barn--sort of....The barn was really a wreck; no way inhabitable by any animals. The house had some issues as well. I've also spoke to a realtor to get an idea of what the 'ole place is worth and if we can afford to find another house with a little land, a barn, and if possible, near some trails. So I've got my work cut out for me--especially the de-cluttering end of things. It's amazing how much junk one accumulates over time. If things don't pan out--I need to order my winter wood pronto!

Today I sorted, culled, and straightened in the office. In the midst of cleaning, I had to dash out to the barn to bring in the ponies as ominous rumbling sounded overhead. I got them in the barn, settled in with some hay and sat down to read while I waited out the storm. After it appeared to have passed, I put them back out only to hear more thunder about a half hour later. This time serious bolts of lighting were touching down on the horizon. "O.k. guys, back inside!" The skies opened up and it poured. They were going to be in for awhile, so I went home to resume my cleaning.

Back out to the barn at 6:30 for some stall picking, fresh water, and dinner. Yes--3 trips to the barn in a day! This is why we need the horses on our property. For the nearly 50 miles I drove, and nearly $10 in gas, I could have walked outside, made sure they were alright (because I will have a run-in shelter), and gotten back to my indoor projects saving hours of time and a good bit of money. Hence my interest if finding my perfect mini-farm!

Harley's wounds have healed up from his colic thrashing and he's back to his old self. You can see the scrapes by his eye. This picture was taken right after he came home from the 5-Star Hotel. I'm trying to fatten him back up before winter. That's always a project with him since a) he's a cribber and spends half his mealtime "urping" on the fence or his stall guard, b) he stomps at flies all day (I need to order one more round of fly predators), and c) the grass is getting eaten down.

The good news is the tractor is up and running again as of today. Hopefully, John can mow the pastures and knock back the gigantic waist-high ragweed invasion.
 One more day of rain, and then this horrible heat wave should be over taking the rain, thunderstorms, and maybe some bugs with it as cool air returns. Last weekend was perfect riding weather and the deer flies were minimal. I'm so happy to see the backside of those dang flies! And so are the horses.

Early morning turkey watching

Every night I give Harley a big hug, whether he likes it or not. And by Sunday--my last vacation day--we're going on a trail ride!

My best boy noshing on clover

My turn to be brave

I arrived at the barn Monday morning expecting to drop the feed and head to work. As I drove up the road, I saw Harley standing down in the pasture; unusual for him. The gang tends to wait for breakfast at the top of the hill by the gate. I grabbed the buckets and whistled for him, but he didn't move. I ran back to the barn, grabbed my phone, a halter and lead, and returned to the field, talking to Harley, but still seeing no apparent reason for his behavior. When I got closer, I saw contusions on his head, and he was shivering. "Oh God", I thought, and called John, then the vet. She said it sounded like he'd colicked and hurt his head thrashing about on the ground. She was on her way. My poor boy.

Harley followed my up to the barn where I put a sheet on him and slowly walked up and down the aisle until the vet arrived. She did a rectal exam and removed a bit of manure, but nothing that indicated an impaction. Then she intubated him and drained a lot of bile. I held Harley's head while the vet discussed my options. She recommended he go to one of the nearby clinics where he would most likely need surgery, or euthanasia. He was in a lot of pain, but his vitals were strong and good still, if we wanted to try surgery. My heart clenched and I held back a sob. John and I had always said surgery was not in the books, but with euthanasia the only option, I swallowed my tears and asked what the process would be and about how much it would cost. Hell, it's only money--I could pay the penalty and cash in a small CD/IRA. The bank isn't paying squat, but Harley has brought me so much joy he deserved the chance to pull through. I felt it was worth a try.

We have no truck or trailer and needed find a setup to borrow pronto. Our wonderful vet offered up her rig at home. Her husband drove it over and sent us on our way to the clinic, after helping us load Eeyore (doped up, he still hates trailers as you may remember). At the clinic he was immediately set up for surgery while the vets ultrasounded him, did another rectal, and pulled more liquid through the tube. I stood there, holding Harley's head in my arms, whispering "You're going to be ok, my boy"
During the ultrasound his stomach began to rumble and gurgle. This was good and we all hoped Harley would rally round and keep improving. It was hard to leave him that day and go into work for the evening. My mind kept drifting off--I was pretty useless. No calls meant good news, so I assumed.

When I called the clinic Tuesday morning, he was much better. They wanted to keep him another day to get his fluids back on track and be sure he could eat without issue. I went to see him on my lunch break, and again, got all teary eyed telling him he'd dodged the big one. We brought him back home Wednesday (after another go-round of hauling Harley onto the trailer), but he's on light turnout for a few days until he's back to eating full rations. My poor boy has contusions under his eye, his elbow, and his stifle. I keep imagining what he must have been going through down in the pasture and wish I'd been there much sooner. This is convincing me all the more that we need to have a place where the horses are in the back yard--where I can keep tabs on things more closely.

Thankfully all turned out fine and I haven't had to close out the CD fund. I'm giving him a few days to settle back at home before resuming exercise. He was quite happy to see his girls again!

The 2 patients in a small enclosure

Harley and Rolex are the two patients now. Amidst all this, Rolex cracked a rear hoof badly and needs time to grow it out. St. Butch tried to put on a special shoe to hold in the edges, but she promptly threw it out in the pasture. So it's back to the Easyboots for her until we can get a shoe to stay on and the hoof grows. Harley has recovered, but he dropped some weight, so I'm trying to put the pounds back on him. Nobody likes a skinny Thoroughbred with winter approaching! I rode Harley for about an hour today--just a walk up the road and in the woods. He was feeling good and pranced a bit, spooking at silly things, just to show me he's A-ok!

Last weekend we took Ruffy and Harley for a jaunt together. Here's Ruffy looking dashing in her white fly bonnet! She was very good today, a lot less stressed about footing and branches touching her. Although I still think she prefers open fields, close to home!

Harley puts on a brave face

We had gorgeous weather this weekend with low humidity, cool breezes and a temperature in the low 80's. Who could ask for anything better in August, especially after Friday's deluge. Saturday morning saw me up and at the barn by 8:00 planning my ride. I so enjoyed our "new trail" down in the Orris Falls Preserve that I decided to go ride it again, but in reverse.

Saturday also featured an MS "Ride for the Cure" bicycle ride. The cyclists had to ride up Thurrell Rd. and then enjoyed a downhill coast the other way. Of course this meant the road was full of cyclists going past the barn.  I thought this might be a nice challenge for Harley--turkeys, lots of bicycles, and a solo ride!

 

This trail has such marvelous footing and I love they way it winds through the trees, past stone walls, and even an ancient cemetery. I think it may be part of the original settlement when the Littlefields farmed this area. When riding through copses early or late in the day, I'm always on the watch for deer that may be hiding among the trees. I think Harley expects it too, judging by the alert ears!

This is the old cemetery with a few old broken stones tipping to the side. a couple of stakes and pole branches demarcate the edges to keep people (and horses) from treading through the site. There's a sign placed down by the brook that shows the layout of the Littlefield settlement. One of these days, when I can get Harley close enough to the sign, I may get a chance to read it! Or I may just have to get off and sidle up closer acting as the buffer between Harley and the scary sign!

I planned to ride home the trail through the Savage's property, but discovered another "new trail" worth exploring. How is it we've missed these? In the winter, we tried riding down one, but it seemed to peter out. Maybe we didn't realize we had wandered off the trail and thought it was just some dead end old logging cut?

At any rate, it proved to be an interesting little jaunt that takes one right down beside the beaver pond--so close you can hear the water rushing over the dam after our big storm on Friday. Harley was doing fine until he came to a quaggy spot with a channel of running water. He thought it was a bog and backed up refusing to go forward. Remember, we have had our moments in the mud! I had to finally dismount and lead him over the muck. But like the good boy he is, he stood still while I clambered back on from a rather slippery stump!

On Sunday, I took John on the same route so he could see the "2nd New Trail" we found. Harley was happy for a jaunt with his Rolex Girl leading the way. But I made him go out front a few times, especially when we had to cross the quaggy spot. He slogged through like a good boy, with little to no hesitation this time.  But when we reached the pond above the falls, John suggested I ride out there for a photo shoot--uh, uh. He was having no part of that when Rolex was on the other side, off in the woods!  He can be a dithering wreck if asked to part ways with his trail pal. And although we work on this, he can be quite the stubborn guy!

Once Rolex joined us at the water, he obligingly waded in and stopped for a big drink. As long as Rolex waited, he would be a good trail horse and slurp up some water. John was able to snap off some shots of a now relaxed Harley quenching his thirst.

John continued carrying the camera and got a quick shot of Rolex on the trail bordering the falls. She and Harley both look askance at the chasm when they pass here. John was trying to do a little trail maintenance with his loppers on this ride, cutting away overhead branches that continually smack us in the face. Rolex is pretty good about standing still, but I think the biting bugs were making both of them a little crazy when asked to "whoa". I think the bugs are always the worst in the deep hemlocks, especially near the water.

Rolex leading the way by Orris Falls chasm

It was another lovely cool evening once the sun went down. Everyone was happy to be outside after sunset, even the little grey tree frogs who seem to enjoy life at the barn. I keep seeing this guy (of one of many) sitting along the fence with his or her little bum tucked into the fence post hole. I love the way they tuck their front legs in too. I think the camera flash blinded this little guy for a moment.  And what did I find in Harley's outdoor feed bucket this morning? Yup, a little grey tree frog!

Fresh hay and a new trail

This is the chore I faced on Monday afternoon--unloading and stacking 145 bales of hay into the barn loft. I wanted to get going on this project before riding, especially since it was after three o'clock.  But when I got to the barn--no John, no Rolex, no Harley, and no saddle! Hmmm...so I called John. He had the two horses down at Orris Falls and was "warming them up" so I needed to get ready to ride--the hay would have to wait. It was a perfect summer day, and we didn't want to miss out riding in such splendid weather. With low humidity, a cool breeze, and temperatures only in the 70's, my saddle beckoned and John had me convinced to ride. He didn't think unloading the hay would take too long...

Here's Harley, "worn out" from trying to keep up with Rolex. She's got a swinging step and my little guy (he's only 15.2) has to jog constantly when tagging behind Rolex.

There's nothing like arriving at the barn and having your horse brushed, tacked, warmed up, and ready to go.
And no, he wasn't worn out, just warmed up and , as it turns out, feeling good! We rode up the power line and then hooked up onto a rather new trail we just discovered (without snow cover) on Sunday. The terrain only looked familiar in some places; where a stonewall intersected the land, a familiar slope or grove of trees. But it was different enough for me to call it a new "discovery". The trail loops off the Big Bump Trail in the Orris Falls preserve, and thus far, offers excellent footing for speed!

John took Ruffy up this same trail earlier in the day and had a nice canter. She likes open trails, which this one is--not a lot of close brush clipping her hind end and making her panic. And the openness allows the breezes to penetrate the woods, thus reducing the number of bugs!

I hope this trail remains less traveled by hikers and bikers, ensuring good footing for a time. Once the traffic picks up, the trails erode and become rocky.

Harley took the lead for a time, only because Rolex wanted to rub her sweaty head against his flank. But once out there, and headed in the direction of home, he put on his brave face. This trail would be the perfect place to come across deer--a guaranteed spook in our future. We had a close encounter with a deer on Saturday's ride. Harley wheeled left, then stopped. But by the time we turned around, the deer was long gone, blending into the dappled woodland.
I didn't dally too long taking pictures since my day was far from over. 145 bales were waiting...

New woodland trail

After we bathed and turned out the horses, it was time to tackle the hay conveyor. This behemoth must have weighed 200+ pounds. With only the two of us to get it out of the 2nd story loft (yes, not the lower loft, the upper loft), it took nearly an hour to push, pull, and rig up a rope Z-drag to get it down. With John on the hay wagon and loading the conveyor, and me upstairs stacking, we finally got the whole load done and cleaned up around 8:30 p.m. We were both bushed, but happy to have the first load stacked and stored for winter.

My portion of the work--stacked bales

By the time we rolled out of the barnyard, the horses had moved down into the field, happily munching in belly-deep grass. Goodnight gang--see you in the morning.