MISCELLANEOUS PHOTOS

STRANGE TOOLS FOR THE BARN

Yes, laundry sorters are a necessary piece of barn equipment.  We feed grass hay to the penned horses and have to peel individual helpings from a large round bale. For me and the volunteers, this makes it easy to transport to the pens. Now Dan, on the other hand, uses just a pitchfork to stack loose hay on the cart to deliver. The other morning the wind must have been blowing as he came through the arena because there was a big bunch on the ground.  Knowing your horses scope out the slightest straw leaving a 3’ dump was not a plan.

YA JUST NEVER KNOW

When you stand inside the horse pen with a camera in hand - well .....

STILL AFTER THE SNOW 11-17-14

vvvv

At least they made a sippy hole.

Someone asked me which horse is the dirtiest. I told them it depended on the day. Today the award goes to Target.

Mattie and Patches enjoy the warmer day.

After the Snow 11-17-14

When I did chores today I noticed these snow lines in the arena. When I looked I realized that apparently the shade from the fence rails kept the snow from melting.

Long view of the 'snow rails'.

Lil thought we had enough cold and snow so this was how she spent some of her time in the warmer afternoon.

The temperatures got above freezing for a few hours so horse 'maintenance' was not too bad.

We Had A Dose of Fear Today

Jas was on her way to the pony pen as I stepped out of the house. She said ‘snake’, I said ‘where’ and she pointed a few feet from her. It was still and stretched out pointed toward the pony pen. Later I found out she walked by it with about 2” between her and the snake. I think the following was in her favor; she walks quietly, and the wind was blowing toward her away from the snake so that should have taken care of scent and possibly sound. It didn’t strike or move.

Midst the barks of Drifter I walked over (close but not too close) to check the identity and yup – it had the noisemaker section. (I check the back end first – forget checking the shape of the head – that end bites). First order of business was to put Drifter in the house and out of the way.

I gave Jas the job of keeping it in sight and “don’t go close” while I went to fetch the pistol that I keep loaded with bird shot. My previous attempts with the ‘real deal’ shot is another story for another time. Suffice it to say I can hit one this way.

By the time I returned, it had moved just inside the pony pen. I shot and hit it. I haven’t killed a rattler in several years so that was an interesting experience for both of us. Of course there are the lingering movements of the snake and as we were watching two ponies headed our way. (It was now wayyyy past their grain time.) Jas headed them off and shooed them back into their hay pen where she locked them in.

I think we may have looked like a comedy act with Jas jumping on the shovel while I held it to cut the snake’s head off. It is always recommended to do this and bury the head because the fangs contain poison and can inject it simply by brushing the fangs. This protects other animals from accidently being poisoned.

If any students are interested, the rattles are hanging on the cork board in the tack up area in the barn. It looked to me like it was 2 to 2 ½ feet long. I did not get a yardstick to check it out thank you.

As I was giving thanks that Drifter wasn’t struck I remembered that is why I have the dogs given rattlesnake vaccine each spring. Yes, there is a vaccine now to protect them.

When I Say I’m Under Water It Kinda Looks Like This

About 4:00 am I wakened to the sound of thunder and flashes of lightening. With Dan’s current work schedule this is the time he feeds the horses. All of a sudden I heard the door slam and Dan came into the house. I heard rummaging in his room and he finally went out again. When I asked him tonight about it, when he went to the barn it wasn’t raining. He just got started and it was like buckets being poured on him. So – to the house for dry clothes and slicker.

Later, when I got up I noticed a bit of slicker caught in the front door. When I opened it the rest of it was between screen and solid door. I thought he had tried putting the slicker on the screen to let it start drying out.

NOT. Since it was still raining he thought he would wear the slicker to his car and stay dry for work. As he went out the door the corner caught as he was closing it. His keys to the house were in his car and I was in bed and wouldn’t hear him. So – shed the slicker and run through the rain to the car.

The rescued slicker drying.

After I got up and looked outside, I knew I would need these. Where were they? At the barn of course.

And getting to the barn looked something like this.

Mission accomplished and so glad to have them.

IOne view of the arena.

Another view of the arena.

The last rain we had Dan worked on making somedrain pathways in the pens. The gelding pen was draining - it was just really full.

Last time Drafty and Sadie both were totally under water at this location. More drain working.

At the end of the day it doesn't look much better.

Dan just finished up digging another drain in the gelding pen.

Dan decided to see if he could get some of the water to drain from the barn road.

But - all the green and growing is sure pretty.

So - when I let students know I ma under water and have to cancel the lesson, this is why.

JUST BLOWIN IN THE WIND

When the wind is from the west and you throw hay over the east fence ......

THE DAY AFTER OUR HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS FREEZING

When I went out to do chores at noon, I found these in the ATV. This told me that ice was thick this morning when Dan took care of things. You are serious when you break out the sledge hammer.

 MUCH thicker ice today.

Ice on the sides of the tanks.

Ice across the tanks.

Yea! Only water now.

It was worth being out. If I wasn't, I woud have missed this.

I GOT LUCKY WITH THIS SHOT

Sometimes I just get lucky when I point and shoot. This makes me think of literally walking into the sunset or on to infinity.

OUR HIGH WAS FREEZING TODAY

On cold days we stay in if possible. The ‘boys’ are in direct line with the heater. Notice – Taz doesn’t want his picture taken. Behind him, Drifter has staked out ‘his’ chair.

 

These were outside in the box on the ATV. The one on the left was frozen and the one on the right wasn’t. 

I had to psych myself up to go out to do chores. By the time I did the sun had come out and it looks like Midnight found a warm spot for a nap.

And, since digesting food keeps them warm the rest of the ponies were chowing down ….

Yup – there was ice again. Butch was glad to see me.


I love this shovel. Instead of water running down my arms it drains out. The ice was fairly thin when I tackled it however; I think tomorrow morning will be a different story since it was freezing over an hour after I lifted it out of the tanks. Tiffany made sure all the tanks were topped off yesterday and that makes a difference in the first freeze.

  Some of the horses will make their own sippy holes during the day. Teefa is not one of them. Notice, she started to drink even before I took the ice out.

Are you bringing more food? You don’t want us to freeze or starve do you?

 

In case you need to know mittens are really warm. If you have spare time it is possible to tie hay string into a knot. It is possible to open and close gate snaps but be prepared to pull mitten out of snap. Warmth or speed?