Jokingly, I've referred to the division of barn labor as such: Carrie's the officer. I'm enlisted.
Carrie is the one who's responsible for the vision of the barn. She talks and schedules with the vets and farrier. She advertises, maintains a presence online, and connects with people. She 'pilots' the truck, decides what parts of the barn to update, concocts the supplement cups, manages payments, and does large supply orders.
I shovel a lot of shit.
I'm good at jumping when told to jump, too.
Seriously though, the officer vs enlisted analogy works out fairly well.
Carrie's workload can shift when she inspired to work on a project or worn out from a previous project. She comes up with the routines. If someone comes to the barn mid-chores, Carrie will stop to welcome them.
Meanwhile, I stay the course. When Carrie's talking, tired, or unavailable, I do the chores. Alone if necessary. By drafting Private 2nd Class Shane on occasion. Day in and day out, I provide consistency and elbow grease. It works that way in the classroom, wrestling room, and house, so it's a job I'm used to.
I've learned a lot in a year of barn management, so I'm not a total greenhorn anymore. If there's something I'm not sure about, I ask. Either by walking to the house or pulling out my phone. My role keeps growing and non-barn knowledge (like logistics and construction) get pulled in and blur the officer/enlisted line sometimes (but that can happen to good sergeants with a 'wet-behind-the-ears' 2nd lieutenant...).
Some examples:
Carrie makes it a point to be on hand whenever the farrier, Meredith, is working on hooves. Notice the cup in her hand? Either I deliver or I hold the horse to allow an AC and beverage break.
Spare legs and hands - That's me.
Side note: Farriers have an interesting set of tools including their own mini-blacksmith set up.
There are days that I joke Carrie "creates work for me" as officers are wont to do.
Earlier this week, I was scooping all the poop and Carrie had an idea. She wanted to make sure Pa...Pockets knew how to use the automatic waterer. She saw the water was far more green than it should of been and decided it was time to clean it out.
Unlike some officers, she got her hands dirty. I pumped the water and scooped sediment from the bottom while she finagled the bobber to control the water level.
We need to look at the boys' field's pump eventually.
Yes, I've had a lot of time to think during my scooping sessions. It helps me bond with the locals.
And whoever is doing whatever task, keeping our eyes open is part of the game. I've found a few rodent holes underneath poop piles I've scooped.
Which came first? The poop or the rodent hole? A mouse diving into a steaming pile and digging down to make a nest under the warm food and fertilizer above is a funny image, but I've seen rodent holes elsewhere, too (maybe under piles long scooped?).
Private 2nd Class Shane isn't the only trooper I keep an eye on. I do my best to keep the numb-skulls active and out of trouble while getting the job done. They're not always helpful.
Carrie decided that we should use the new hay for field hay. Her officer level thinking found the discount hay and deduced it would be a pain to clean up from stalls.
Which was a good idea, but who do you think fetched the hay and collected stems?
I'm lucky to have a worthy officer directing me, but I'm going to sweat my sweat doing my part!
There's one grunt work task I'm not entrusted with: Mowing. That is Carrie's job and hers alone.
I do collect odds and bits from the field before she mows...
...and play fetch when she realizes she needs something while mowing (or even to grab the key!).
I think I'd look good mowing, but Carrie wants the fields to look just the way she likes them.
I don't need to gear up to spread poop. That's my task 4 times out of 5!
I've come to a conclusion: Summer is my break from teaching. School is my break from farming.
Maybe one day I'll know enough to get commissioned, but I take my licks and earn my keep in the trenches now.
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