Snow as high as an elephant's eye!

I woke to wind whistling around the corners of the house and began to fret. Total whiteout conditions limited my view up and down the street which appeared to have not been plowed in hours. I made coffee and began worrying about getting out to the horses. We began shoveling, battling the winds as we tossed it over shoulder-high embankments. The snow fell at rapid rate, swirling back over the shoveled areas. We finally reached the barn by 12:30 and turned the horses out, first thing.

 This blizzard dumped at least 25 inches, if not more, here in our corner of Maine. Some of the drifts were thigh high. We even had to dig a trench for the horses to get out into the pasture. Mother Nature sculpted some lovely drifts with spindrift swirling everywhere. The horses were stumped at first--only a narrow chute ran along side the fence with a belly-deep drift barring them in. Finally Ruffy took the plunge and led them down the hill.

By the time we finished shoveling a "cul-de-sac" for the horses, mucked out the stalls, broken the ice from the buckets, and began heating water for their mash, it was after 3:00. Encrusted in snow and ice, we didn't have to call too many times before they were at the top of hill, eager to come in out of the storm. Poor Harley had snow stuck to his eyelashes!

Once we removed excess snow and icicles, yes icicles hanging from their chin hairs, a nice nosh of alfalfa hay and beet pulp/rice bran mash was in order. Patient Ruffy waited for John to even groom the ice from her tail. But of course, she was rewarded with a carrot!

Tomorrow--more digging as I'm sure the cul-de-sac will fill in over night. And then back to work...
I'd rather be riding in the new snow! Maybe skijoring by the weekend?

Oh give me a home, where my horses can roam...

Merry Christmas from our gang to yours!

A solid week of rain, snow, and ice left me feeling miserable all week. The poor horses, hovering in their new shelter, venturing out for bites of hay, gladly ran into the barn at dinnertime. I hope we're not in for a winter of nothing but wet snow, rain, and mud. How dreary!

Our snow has disappeared, except for a few remaining chunks--big scary chunks to scare silly Thoroughbreds--by the side of the road. We have only been able to ride a couple of times with the uncooperative weather, making for pogo-stick ponies! When things get a bit out of hand, I take the lead, literally on foot, proving to Harley that everything truly is safe out there.

The Winter Solstice has passed, so I can start adding those extra minutes of daylight onto my punch list of chores I need to get done. My goal over the holiday week is to finish painting the bedroom. Then I can move on to the kitchen doors, all which need a refresher coat! I've been advised that we will need to sell the house before we can successfully put in an offer on anything--the competition is too stiff!. This scares me--no house or barn to call my own. I even considered renting a place, complete with a barn, but someone beat me to it--that's the story of my life these days. So I'm trying to keep positive and pray our "farmette" will become a reality in the new year.

As long as our horses remain healthy (Ruffy--2 abrasions, Harley--1 choking incident, Rolex--0, tough as nails), as do we, I know we can slog though another winter with traveling to and fro for our horse care. Better days are coming.

The horses all seem to be doing well on their hay, balancer, and beet pulp/rice bran mash diet. I see dapples in their winter coats, and if they were clipped, I imagine those dapples would really stand out. The high quality hay is consumed, with very little wasted, a sign of how much it's enjoyed by our gang!

With no snow, and lots of soft muddy ground, we've been paying careful attention to hoof care. At least if the footing is soft, I don't have to bother with booting Harley. The down side is they come in, covered in mud. Snow baths are so much nicer!

Who knows, we might have an early spring and see grass by April?

The hounds of hell on Harley's heels

Our weather has been a little crazy here in Maine--some early snow that teased us, then the temperatures soared back up into the low sixties bringing rain and lots of fog. We know winter is just around the corner, but it's always nice to squeeze in one more ride when mittens and bulky jackets aren't required!

Oh what a weekend it was--a great ride, and a not-so-great ride. But I think I jinxed myself this time. With the short days our time in the saddle is limited to just weekends and my Monday afternoons. And John's new shift only gives us Saturdays to ride together. So my steed has been spending most of his hours hanging out with his girlfriends, munching hay.


John and I had a nice little ride on Saturday with Rolex and Harley. But when I asked Mr Little Ears to go solo on Sunday, well, his home-bound highness gave me quite the performance. I could tell it promised to be an interesting ride when Harley would not stand still while I tacked up. Back and forth, back and forth, he paced in the cross ties. Once on board and headed up the road, he was jumping at every squirrel rustling in the leaves. But when two dogs came tearing up the trail, that was last straw for Harley. He turned tail and began to run--fast. Now trying to stop a horse in the ring, or in the open isn't too bad, but when it's over undulating terrain with overhanging branches--well, good luck. As I ducked, he veered right, gave a little buck and as I scrambled out of sticks and leaves, I had a great view of his big bay butt galloping off down the trail. Damn, I thought, I need to catch him before he heads for the road. Thankfully, Harley missed the turn for home. There was a chance I could intercept him if he didn't go cross-country as the crow flies. As I hobbled through the woods, whistling and calling, he appeared, trotting towards me, ears up.

I grabbed the reins and led Harley back to the scene of destruction and on up to the house with the dogs. The owner had them tied up, but they continued barking, which was good. Harley had a chance to stand near their yapping maws, and realized he wasn't about to be eaten. I've had run-ins with these tenacious dogs before, and the owner admitted they like to chase and nip (oh yeah), but in the past, I've turned Harley towards them, they've given up. Not so  this time. With the dogs no longer on his heels, Harley settled down a bit. I remounted, and we continued our ride. Jumpy as he was, we needed to work through all this together.

We encountered a couple of other riders, which gave Harley pause, but after nuzzling noses, we continued our ride. All went smoothly until we returned to the road and a bicycle zoomed past. He jumped sideways, and proceeded to prance. For self preservation, and to help cool off my sweating beast, I decided to lead him the rest of the way home. Harley's shaggy coat was going to need a good sponging after his mad dash! I went home, a little beat up with bruises on my shin, ankle, thigh, and derriere, but walking and upright!

Then came the calm before the storm; a lovely sunset before our first really big storm of the year. More on that in my next post.

Another best birthday ever

Another birthday has come and gone, but I vowed to get in a "birthday ride" despite having to be at work by 9 a. m. on Thursday. It's become a special treat for me ever since I got Harley. My parents were subjected to the constant "horse present" wish for way too many years. I can now fulfill that dream every day when I go out to the barn and see our gang.

The minutes ticked by as I jogged between chores, glancing at my watch every few seconds. Once I had everyone fed, and the water tank filled,  I began cleaning off Mr. Muddypants.  There was time for a very short ride, or at least a walk, before I had to jump in the truck and leave.

I coerced Harley into the barn to tack up. He was not pleased to leave his girls, but grudgingly relented. I briefly thought about going bareback, but he hadn't been ridden in about a week and a half, so I opted for the security of a saddle. I had just enough time to ride out behind the barn to do some leg yields, turns on the forehand, and a few trots before it was time to go. Harley felt spunky--looking around at everything, especially the green tarp that had blown into the woods, and the ladder teetering on the back porch railings. Then Pete appeared and said, "Where's your orange?" Well, since I wasn't leaving the ring area, I decided to skip the blaze orange. No hunters would be shooting that close by and not have a clear view of us! We only had one minor "blowup" when he began snorting and thought about throwing in a buck, but he quickly came back down and settled. Thank you, Harley, for being a good boy!

A morning ride, no matter how short,  can set the tone for the day and put a smile on my face. And it's the best view of the world from atop your horse's back!

Last sunny days of October

With autumn winding down as we head towards the short, dark days of early winter, the horses soaked up the last bit of warmth the sun had to offer. The past weekend offered some of our best weather for fall riding. The horses are beginning to get their winter coats. Cold nights have given Harley a bit of a shaggy look, and Ruffy has started to get fuzz-face; long hairs growing around her cheeks and jaw. Rolex appears to have the least amount of winter hair growth, but she'll be catching up soon enough with the snow headed our way!

This is what I like to see this time of year--sleek Thoroughbreds ready to face the winter. They enjoy their beet pulp/flax seed/rice bran mashes and we can see the results in their shiny coats and the extra "padding" along the ribs. Coupled with the alfalfa mix hay, they've never looked better. Even Vance, the elder Standarbred in the heard, seems to be holding his own and feeling good.

We put the hay barrels down in the field to encourage the horses to eat down there, rather than along the upper fence line which has turned into a mucky mess from all the recent rains. The reduced traffic should help the mud dry out a bit. As I worked on the fence, I had the "assistance" of the gang, first Rolex and Harley, inspecting my work and sniffing my pockets for carrots, then the inquisitive Ruffy, also hoping I had treats to hand out.

Walking the fence line, noting what repairs I still need to do before winter, the gang moved with me until they decided I was of no interest without carrots. I know some people feel strongly about giving horses treats, but I look at it as a reward for letting us catch them. When I first got Harley, he was fond of walking away when I approached. That's not to say they all don't try this on occasion, especially when they're feeling fresh, but treats do keep them approachable in the field. No one is especially nippy, but I might feel a nose and lips snuffling at my pockets when I'm picking out feet!

Our latest adventure took us back out to Jepson Farm and the quarry. I always love the ride out to Jepson Farm. This time, I gave the camera to John, and he snapped off numerous shots of Harley. Here's my Halawa Moon, looking like his dad, Malibu Moon--big spooky eye and little short ears! He was feeling a bit fresh early in the ride. In fact, he was a handful just leaving the barn, but settled as we got going. Standing around is not something OTTB's do very well.

Here's another shot of Harley with his "look of eagles" pose for the camera.

"Enough of this standing around", said Rolex, "let's get the show on the road and go somewhere! "Hey, what's Lisa looking at? Jeezum, Harley, can you see those tiny trucks down there?"
There's been a lot of activity at the quarry as the process material before winter. Once things start to freeze, they can't run the gravel plant any longer and things quiet down for winter.

We decided NOT to take Rolex's short cut down to the bog, up the ridge, and through the ravine, this time. But we did stop to take a picture of what we now call "Rolex's Ravine" since she's the one that got us into that little adventure. John's new nickname for her, Rolodex of Trouble, really suits that mare. She keeps us laughing, our Roley Girl. The camera doesn't show the depth very well, but believe me (and Harley), it was a scramble. For those of you that have seen The Man From Snowy River--that's what came to mind, maybe not as steep, and certainly not at the same speed, but still a scramble!

When we got to North Point, Harley and Rolex had to stop and watch the horses in the pastures. Harley started walking down the drive to go investigate while Rolex watched and wondered, "Do I know you guys? Did I smell you out on the trail?"

North Point is for sale, for a cool $770,000--too bad it's way out of my price range. Its adjacent to conservation land with many trails, has a lovely barn, three pastures with run-in sheds, and a half mile "track".  Harley and Rolex wish I could buy it for them (and so do I).  Ah well, it's nice to dream.

Waning days of autumn

Late autumn is the time of year when I scurrying around like a chipmunk preparing for winter. All those projects I planned to do all summer finally come under the gun as the temperature drops and daylight fades. Amidst all that chaos on the home front, I'm trying to keep Harley exercised so we can maintain some semblance of sanity on those cold windy rides.

A barn full of hay gives me the warm fuzzies. I now sleep better knowing the horses will have plenty of lovely alfalfa and timothy to keep their furnaces stoked on a winter night. The sweet aroma fills the loft and spare stalls.

It's time to clean the stall fans and put them into storage for the winter. Summer bug nets need washing and put in the tack trunk. I still have to fix a broken pane in Harley's stall window before the snow flies. Right now, the ventilation is fine, but once winter hits, I'm sure Harley would appreciate not having snow blowing in all night!

It's tough to get in an evening ride by mid-October.  When I drive up to the barn, I see horses, catching the sun's last rays at the hilltop. Autumn sunsets turn all our horses a fiery orange-red just before it sinks over the horizon. Suddenly, it's very dark and I'm now leaving the barn under starlight.

Harley and Rolex

Ruffy

The horses enjoy the last warm days, basking in the sun. Most of the flies are gone, yet the pesky deer ticks have reared their ugly heads again. Fall always seems to bring another bout, despite the cold nights. The turkeys need to get busy gobbling up the little suckers!

I've been following the plight of the remaining Suffolk Downs horses, hoping they all find good homes as the track closes. The folks at Canter New England have been updating the trainer listings as status' change. My bank balance prevented me from taking on any more, but I do what I can sharing them out on Facebook. Hopefully, readers and followers will pick up these horses, offering them new homes and new careers. My "wish list" is dwindling as some of my picks are sold, or move with their trainers to different tracks. As one person advised, don't ignore the "ugly ducklings". They may not be the prettiest, or fastest, but they have other qualities, maybe talents yet untapped.

End of an era

Photo courtesy of Friends of Suffolk Downs

Suffolk Downs, New England's last remaining Thoroughbred racetrack is slated to close in early October. The last live race will be on Saturday, October 4, 2014. Its closure will leave a void in our region--the Sport of Kings will be gone from East Boston, replaced by a casino in Everett. I can't imagine that the people employed in the shedrows and on the backstretch want to trade working with Thoroughbreds for dealing cards and stocking slot machines. And where will the trainers based in Massachusetts and its border states go? Sell their farms and move south to the Mid-Atlantic, or west to New York? Approximately 2000 people will be out of work with the track's closure.

This track has a richer history than meets the eye. Constructed 79 years ago on the mud flats, it has hosted such famous equine athletes as Seabiscuit,  Whirlaway, Cigar, and John Henry. Suffolk Downs took the lead in establishing a "no kill buyer" policy. All retired horses needed to be re-homed. Any trainer found in violation would be banned from the track. Many tracks have since followed suit and now have the same rule on their books. Suffolk Downs isn't glamorous, located in a gritty part of the city. It has been struggling to keep open for years and had pinned its hopes on winning the bid for a casino with the racetrack. This past week, it finally lost the battle--a sad day for Thoroughbred enthusiasts in the Bay State and its surrounding environs.

The folks at CANTER New England have been working like mad to re-home the remaining horses still at the track that won't be moving on to a different venue. My hat goes off to these people who have worked tirelessly, year after year, to put on the Suffolk Showcase each fall, helping find new careers for horses no longer competitive enough to stay with their trainers string. Now, the urgency to re-home these horses has stepped up a notch as the final weeks of racing comes to a close. I urge anyone who may be looking for a horse, or if you know of someone in the market, please check out the trainer listings. Lots of great horses are available for reasonable prices and the folks from CANTER can help tremendously.

On a more personal level, I will no longer enjoy perusing CANTER New England's annual trainer listings each autumn, selecting horses for my fantasy farm. Three years ago, my partner and I attended CANTER's Suffolk Showcase with the intention of finding another horse so we could both ride together and would not have to share time with our OTTB Harley (JC name Halawa Moon). I gazed at all the eye-candy like an awe-struck horse-crazy 12 year old. We watched the horses parade past, looking at conformation and watching for signs of lameness. I could have easily taken at least five home that day. We left with John thinking about a couple of horses he'd selected. On a cold, rainy November day, not one, but two fillies arrived: Rolex Girl and This Chic's Got It (now called Ruffy), bringing our stable of ex-Suffolk Downs OTTB's to three.

This Saturday promises to be a bright, sunny September day. As the morning sun glints off the shiny coats of Suffolk's remaining Thoroughbreds, and they prance in the sharp fall air, a new page will start for many of these horses as they head to new homes and new careers.

Look Ma--no bugs!

Vacation week arrived at last with fine weather. And I have to admit, I really, really wanted to ride every day, but made myself work on the "plaster project" and helping John clear out the garage. If we want to sell, a lot of de-cluttering and painting had to happen during our vacation. Oh my, the junk we've saved over the years! What I couldn't take to the junkyard for cash (old bicycle parts, rusted tools, etc.), I put out by the road. My three pairs of vintage skis, miraculously disappeared, along with a beach chair and lounger! One man's junk is another man's treasure, for sure.

But by the time Friday rolled around, I insisted we get in a ride. The weather was perfect--breezy, partly sunny, in the 60's and NO BUGS! We saw an occasional mosquito, and only ONE deer fly, which I squashed. Absolutely heavenly for the horses and us.

We decided to explore the Jepson woods and quarry area. Having not ridden out there since spring, we discovered the enlarged quarry and logged area forced us to re-route some of our trails. Since it was a weekday, all sorts of heavy equipment moved through the quarry. Both horses were remarkably calm about it all, even when we paused to watch a drill, pounding into the rock.

We took a break along the quarry road so I could sample some wild grapes. Fall was in the air--the smell of grapes, aster and goldenrod blooming in the meadows and along the roads, and the sumac heads turning a bright red. 

Our mellow-mooded Harley and Rolex ambled along enjoying the bug-free environment. When they're out 24/7, the horses are much more relaxed. Brave Harley led the way for a good portion of the ride!


We came out onto Cheney Woods Road where the pace picked up--that little alarm that goes off in the horses' heads when we turn for home.

We stopped for a little break--carrots all around for our steeds. Now there's a happy horse!

 

Homeward bound, out Allen Road, past North Point. A perfect day for a perfect ride on our perfect ponies!

When and if we find our own place, I admit I will miss some of our trails in the Tatnic area. But all the pros outweigh the cons, and there would be new territory to explore. Hopefully, Harley would learn to get on a a trailer so if a moment of nostalgia came over me, we could return to some old haunts. But with all the logging, quarrying, and building going on, it's only a matter of time before land not protected by conservation groups will be swallowed up for development. Only islands of green space will remain, leaving a lot of road riding to reach those idyllic spots. So I need to enjoy them while I can and accept that I can't change the inevitable.

Saturday was another "all work, no play" day. I tried to finish plastering the "rose room" wall, but discovered I will need to redo a few places. Ugh! John nearly finished purging the garage and getting all his tools organized enough so we will be able to squish on vehicle in there during snow storms.  And another boat arrived on our doorstep for repair--organized in the nick of time!

Once all the plaster dries, I can move on towards painting. I will be so glad when this room is done. Then I can move on to finishing up the cupboards in the kitchen. Will it never end?

Sunday dawned chilly with a downright cold breeze blowing. The horses were stabled overnight due to the cold rainy weather. This left them raring to go after breakfast! I anticipated a rowdy ride when Harley barely let me get on before he was off at a trot. He led the way up the road, spooking at every little squirrel, chipmunk, bird, stump, and boulder in sight. John suggested a short ride due to sore muscles, but our little jaunt turned into a three hour plus trek.

We retraced our route out to the Jepson homestead where we encountered three riders from North Point. This had Harley's head as high as a giraffe's as he peered down the trail at the oncoming horses. We exchanged exclamations over the perfect weather and continued on our way. Once we reached the old pasture, Harley decided to have a little snack.

Rolex ate some, but she's always a busy girl and wanted to get going!

She was in rare form on Sunday--full of the dickens and spooking at silly things. I think she felt good and was displaying her humor. She stopped at random stumps, rocks, and other little things along the way, but with her good nature, John just laughed it off.

Where we went wrong was letting Rolex pick her route down a game trail that led in the right direction, but over some tricky terrain and through a swamp. We finally reached a point where I said, "Let me get off and scout this out". We managed to get out on a rocky promontory with a swamp on one side and a steep ravine on the other. John held the horses while I scrambled down one side, looking for a horse-safe route, and then up the other side, hoping it would put us back on the trail. I retraced my steps and told John the plan. Rolex forged out ahead down into the ravine bottom. Then she got a little rattled, and little stuck. I put Harley out front and he attacked that slope like he was heading up Cougar Rock in the Tevis Cup. We made a few switchbacks around rocky slabs and downed trees, but he scrambled up like a hero with me hanging onto his mane. Harley received lots a pats and "Good Boy" huzzahs from me. John was impressed with his finesse too--my grand boy! Here's to off-track Thoroughbreds becoming trail horses!

While bashing through the woods, getting thwacked across the neck, scratched and bloodied by branches, I stopped to take a picture of what I believe is Chicken of the Woods mushroom. Colleen over at Bay State Brumby and her husband Brandon will have to confirm this for me! It sure looked fresh and ready to eat!
But I don't think it would have fared well stuffed in my saddle bag crashing through the puckerbrush.




Here's a little movie of Harley, walking in the woods:

Some of our best riding weather is right now, so I hope to get in a few more great rides like these in between fixing up "This Old House".

Laboring on Labor Day

I missed out on some gorgeous days for riding, but work on the house came first. Once the sweltering summer weather returned, I had no urge to take Harley out anyway. So I spent the better part of two afternoons scraping off old wallpaper and glue. Let me tell you, the water/vinegar recipe worked like a charm! This is the easy part; next comes plastering and patching. These old walls certainly show their age, and I think the original plasterer decided to not bother with a final smooth coat since it was going to be papered.

And then there's the horrible salmon pink paint I'm trying to scrape off as well. The previous owner had no sense of color palettes--this was formerly known as "the rose room" due to the pink painted paper (see lower right corner) and the salmon trim, with a gray floor. UGH! So this is the final room to finish.

With plaster dust stuck to my skin, sweat dripping down my glasses, and gooey pieces of paper all over the floor, I finally called it a day when I ran out of vinegar!

Harley and the girls spent Monday mid-day under cool fans in the barn. This gave them all a respite from the biting flies and the brutal heat. I think next year I will try the bug-shield leggings for them and see if it reduces the constant stamping. That in turn, will reduce summer weight loss as well!

Last week, I got in an early morning solo ride before it got too warm. We avoided the worst of the deer flies and surprised a herd of deer at the edge of a logged clearing. For some reason, Harley is not spooked by deer, but seems to want to follow them. We circumnavigated the herd and came across a lone deer, staying back to take a look at us. You can just make out the ears above the upper twig across the screen.

Here's 'ole Mr. Knobby Knees back home, having a nice bit of clover!

The week before, I met up with my father over at the Barrington Truck Meet when he had his rebuilt Mack in the lineup. He's trying to sell it--any interested parties out there? Looks like it could haul a big load of shavings or hay!

We gotta get out of this place....

The search continues for our own mini-farm, but given that our corner of Maine is considered part of the greater metro-Boston commuter area, the pricing is not in our favor. Property taxes in New Hampshire exceed the combined property and income tax rate in Maine, leaving me with even fewer properties to consider. Since rural New Hampshire towns have little business to spread out the tax burden, the local governments gouge property owners. We currently have the horses at a great location, near lots of trails and conservation land, but it would be so much easier, and pleasing, to have them at our own place. Our hunt continues while I try to maintain optimism.

I'd love to find something close to our hay suppliers--poor John had to drive a hay wagon from the farm to our barn--a white-knuckling trip with south-bound summer tourists trying to pass the entire way. Cool as a cucumber, but visibly spent by the end of the drive, I'm pretty darn lucky he was willing to make the trip! Then we had to muscle down the hay conveyer from up in the loft. 153 bales later, in the dark, with the dew beginning to fall, we left the barn at 9:15 p.m. Exhausted after Saturday's load (76 bales) and the night's workout, we headed home knowing we had to return by 5:30 the next morning to drive the hay wagon back, and make it to work by 8:30 a.m. But having a barn full of hay is like having your wood split and stacked for the winter. The old saying "wood warms you thrice: cut it, stack it, then burn it" holds a similar truth, only it warms you and your horses! Another load with the same amount and we'll all be set for winter.

Rolex Girl, the diva, getting ready for a ride.

On the brighter side, we've had a week of wonderful riding weather. Cool temperatures have kept the bugs at bay, allowing pleasant rides even in the woods! Nippy mornings sent me scurrying for a sweatshirt when I first stepped outside. The horses are loving it--less stamping and swishing. As an aside, has anyone tried using the leg wraps for insects? Would love some feedback on successes and failures.