What Am I Doin'?

There are those days when I miss - just the smell of a horse.  I found out last Friday, that a cow does Not have the pleasant aroma of a horse.  I spent the day at the farm.  It was gray, overcast, gloomy & fit my mood.  I finally felt strong enough to face going there & not seeing my mare.  I started by cleaning out the last of the loose hay, then going through all Butch's boxes of tools etc, he'd moved from storage.  The mice had found several, even eating through Styrofoam to chew on the cord of a welder.  I opened the boxes, tipped them over & ran!

It took me until almost dark to get everything sorted.  I made up a stack of barn stuff another horse person might want.  I loaded the Bronco with the boxes of Christmas decorations that thankfully were sealed - my original excuse for the trip.

11-3-2015 At Victoria~

 Once home, I decided to take a photo trip back to the same day - the last year we were on the Homestead.  (Third Time is the Charm) I find myself doing this now & then.  A day later, I was riding & we topped 1,000-miles for the year.

10-20-2018 Farah & Renee~

Just a couple days before, Renee sent me this first photo of her & Farah.  It's great to see the two of them getting along so well.  I trust that Renee is what Farah needs at this stage in her life.  A refresher of her training, collection, lead changes, fresh ideas & conditioning for a different discipline.  All will be good for her longevity.

I started blogging back in 2011, because I enjoy writing & having just turned 60, liked the idea of keeping some type of journal.  I wrote about mundane happenings on the Homestead, but it wasn't long until my rides dominated the blog.

I mentioned to Butch the other night - that I feel somewhat at a loss.  My main reason to write a story at all, is now far away...  Horses have been my life.  I'm not about re-living the past, but there have been some good horses & good horse stories worth writing about.  Time will tell, what comes next~

Free Again!

Sunday, dawned just the opposite of the day before!  Hot & Humid, with a Dew Point in the 70's & just pretty miserable for working out.  Butch had asked Linus if he would help & I was so thankful that he agreed!

What it takes!

Cold coffee, Casey's donuts & bug spray - breakfast of champions!  :-)  With one more heavy roll of wire to get up - Linus & Butch started to work.

Linus leads the way!

On the Home Stretch now, we were all motivated to Get It Done!   Even Farah was watching with anticipation as the guys worked on the final sections.  Soon, it was time for her to go out.  I'd hoped that she would take the walk-way on her own, but she remembered way too well - the horse eating trickle of water that she would have to cross to reach the pasture & turned back!

At the HUGE water crossing!  :-)

Butch got the halter & lead & here they came!  Butch did his very Best to get her to just walk across like a lady - but NO, it had to be the big huge jump!

Across to the pasture side!

Farah does Not like to make "Dad" mad & he was - but she was more than happy to be off the lead!

On her own~

We stood back & watched as she strutted off.  I was right - a roll was the first thing on her mind!   Going on two-years, it had been way too long!

A Good Roll!

I can't even imagine how good it felt to roll in the fresh cut field.

Exploring~

She jumped up & took off for the far end of the pasture.

Roaring back!

Then, came back like a golden brown tornado!

A Farah Explosion!

Of course we haven't been out riding for a few weeks now & both of us are feeling the strain.  All that energy, I missed the following burst into the air & strike out.  Dr. Essex had told me plenty of times that letting a horse blow off steam at liberty is a good way to get them hurt.  Another friend & horseman I've met here, John - said that horses are born wanting to commit suicide.  I had to laugh, but that statement rings too true to anyone who's dealt with horses over any length of time.

Photo by Linus~

She made another couple runs, so I wanted to be sure she'd calmed down & knew where the boundaries were.  Butch plans to build a bridge over the creek & hopefully things will eventually dry out enough that she & I can practice walking over it.  Linus said he didn't know which of us was happier, the mare or me.

In the shade~

It's been a tough spring for us both.  Farah dealing with the heat, humidity, bugs & an allergic reaction to the fly spray we'd been using.  Me with my vision changes & the ensuing depression...   Getting this done, was a huge relief & I'm so thankful for my husband & our dear friends who've made it possible~

Farah's Pasture - A Day Away~

Saturday was a total gift!  A cool day without the high humidity & a nice breeze.  We were determined to get the fence done at the farm!

Overgrown!

It was pretty disheartening to see how the weeds had taken over the pasture area.  With all the strong storms, a large Willow had come down & fallen right on the fence.

Willow down~

When we first walked the area, we knew that the trees would be an issue.  We went back for the chain saw.  Butch said it will probably be the first of the many that we'll have to clear as time goes on...

Wild Carrot~

I started in on the weeds...  Higher than my head & interspersed with Stinging Nettles, it was a jungle, full of bugs.  Water vascular - so very easy to cut down, even when the stems are a couple inches around.

Farah watches :-)

Butch had the weedwhacker & hacked his way up the walkway to the barn.  The west side still needed to have the wire put up.  The problem with all the fast growing vegetation is not only that it blocks the breezes, but also harbors every kind of biting bug.  Now that farmers are not supposed to disk the fields, pests like the Japanese Beetle, who lay their eggs in the dirt, flourish.  Last year they were bad, this year I think they are worse...

Farah on her ground tie

I brought Farah over to enjoy the seed heads on the Brome grass.  Since the Wild Carrot shade so much of the soil, there was very little grass.  Now that it's down, we hope to get it sprayed & allow the Brome to grow.  The vegetation on the outside of the fence will have to be knocked down too.  I think it could get heavy enough take the fence down over time.

Dean & the Tractor

Covered from top to bottom with bug spray - I was hacking away at the Wild Carrot & about half-way across the pasture, when I heard the tractor!  Dean to the rescue!  He'd driven by earlier, saying something about; "Too much work." That mowing blade made quick work of the rest of the field! With the sweat dripping into my eyes, even with my headband - I was more than ready to watch as it all went down!  I wish I'd know enough about the weeds here, to realize what a huge problem they would create.

I wanted to leave some of the Brome, but the guys said it would all grow back in no time!  Not the weeds! Please! One more day's work & the mare will have her pasture!