The Barn Update

Where to start? The barn is part of the daily routine here.

Samwise has moved on to California. You can see the arid hills behind him. His new owners "Fed-Exed" him by air. I didn't realize there was a demand for flying horses!

It was a bit of a shock when he sold, because the first buyer fell through. It was nearly a done deal when it evaporated based on the opinion of a new vet who'd never actually seen Sam after the couple paid a well-known vet to inspect him.

A couple of weeks later he sold for real. Carrie misses him. 

However, she has "my" mule to keep her busy now. Pockets and Abby are quiet the bonded pair. They go everywhere and groom each other. Abby's even backed up towards him while in heat, but he had no idea what to do with it (to her chagrin!).

I don't ride the horses, so my view of everything is based on the work. I'm getting better at paying attention to how the horses walk to see how they're feeling. I spotted gash on Eddy's leg one day (the bright red helped attracted the ADHD).

How'd it happen? Not a clue. "Horses do some stupid things," Carrie said. She threw some clotting/first-aid powder on it and when it stopped bleeding when turned him back out. There's nothing but grass and other horses in the field, so it's hard to guess how he got a cut so high inside his leg.

Magic's been the recent high-maintenance case. He was walking lame with Carrie and Ellie suspecting an abscess in his front left hoof. He got multiple duct tape booties.  

He got the occasional epsom salt foot-bath, too. Carrie seriously impressed me. Magic didn't really want his foot in a boot and kept shifting his weight, but she wouldn't let him out of it. She was able to hold his hoof up and turn it this way and that to make him keep it up so she could treat him.

Normally a horse hoof looks something like this (pre-picking out the dirt).

When the abscess finally did start to drain it came out in two different places. You can see one of the gaps on the back left near the frog of Magic's foot here. It was very tender and he'd flinch anytime the area was touched.

The second drain point was under the hoof behind the hoofwall. The hoof looks grosser here since it was in a bath softening up.

Magic has had to stay inside or in the dry lot a couple of nights when it's been raining and he's hated it. He's a huge chicken and can't stand to be alone. He whinnies through the night even though the other horses can usually touch noses with him across the fence lines. 

When the weather dried back up, Carrie let him out and he took off. He was sprinting and squealing the whole way across the field to rejoin the herd!

In the mare's field, fly gear is en vogue. Abby had pink fly boots that didn't fit her right, so now they're further emasculating the mule. Carrie got Pockets and Maddie new fly sheets. 

Technically, Magic has a fly blanket, too, but Huck already chewed off part of the tail. 

Speaking of the little trouble maker, the rescue owner, Sarah, stopped by to check on his progress recently. Carrie groomed out his tail beforehand.

Carrie gave Sarah a full showing of what's he's learned since being with us. He recently master cantering on the lunge. 

Sarah was impressed. Huck's a smart boy and will make someone a good companion.

What impressed me is that Carrie and Gay backed Huck a couple of weeks ago. Gay was visiting and said, "You know what? Let's try it. I think it will go well."

They went for it and it worked!

I came outside when I realized what they were doing. Otherwise it would've been done before I got a picture.

I've been opposed to Carrie taking any big risks. She's thought Huck would do well, but didn't want to do anything without experienced backup, so when Gay offered to help....

It was a happy coup.

Carrie hasn't been riding as much since the hunt season ended.

She and Barbara went on one last weekend ride a couple of weeks back.

Barbara went out of town on vacation afterward. She's one of Carrie's main riding buddies, so Maddie got to take a vacation herself.

Carrie sent Barbara some "postcards" from Maddie. Barbara "wrote" back to apologize for any extra seafood poundage! 

This weekend (9/19) Carrie hopped on Maddie to get her back into work mode (and try out her new poncho!).

Those are the main bits, at least. There's always something going on around here. Even if it's just lots of poop shoveling.

So Long Sam?

Carrie thought Sam pulled a muscle when she took him out last week. She put him on stall rest for a week.

The vet was already out to check on Ernie, so Carrie had her take a peek at Sam, too.

Some of what I saw from the window intrigued me. The vet's a small woman, but she had Sam up on three legs.

I think she was stretching him out and seeing how he reacted trotting around afterward, but I don't know. Carrie said the final verdict was, "He's fine."

Which was important, because Carrie planned to trailer Sam to the farm we bought him from.

Carrie loves Sam. She likes his attitude and she likes his farts.

Her goal, though, has been to trailer out frequently. That hasn't happened.

Her long term goal is to trailer out as a family. One day Nibs would come home and be her horse and where would that leave Sam? Sam's not the type of horse just anyone can hop onto. He's young, athletic, sensitive, and opinionated. That takes a skilled rider.

What Carrie has really wanted to find was a "been there, seen that, I can do anything with anyone on my back" type of horse. A "husband horse." The horse's temperament would be more important to her than it's athleticism and that's not who Sam was shaping into.

Carrie called Sam's old trainer to talk and was told "You called at the perfect time." The trainer had someone coming on Sunday who owned one of Sam's siblings. They wanted another horse "just like Sam."

So we talked it over. It was decided we weren't gong to bargain, but if it was at our price and a good home Sam could join some of his siblings. If it didn't work out, it was trailer training. Sam could enjoy a short trip and come right back.

It'd be less work for us and give the gate some time to recover in his absence, too. Sam's put some major dents into it kicking for us to serve his food faster.

He knocked out welds!

Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised to get a call from Carrie a few minutes after she left the house.

It's the time honored job of spouses to help out when their other forgets something important! Carrie had forgot the meals and supplements she bagged for Sam while he was away!

The prospective buyer came out and rode Sam on Sunday. He had so much fun he didn't want to hop off! The deal was on. A vetting was scheduled for the following Wednesday, but was rescheduled. Carrie doesn't see any problem, because our vet, Carly, works for the buyer's vet. The buyer put down a deposit and the deal should be closed next Monday (the 27th).

Carrie's not horseless in the meantime. We've got horses aplenty. Carrie rides Magic some to exercise him for Ellie. Then she rides Eddie to keep him in shape for Heidi. Pippin and Huck need to be handled and Maddie enjoys getting groomed, too. 

Lots of big changes in our first year of operations. There could be a mule in our future. Carrie's been fascinated and doing research now that we have an empty lot....

Going to Work

We don't have enough of a barn to make it a full time job, but it keeps us busy enough.

Mainly Carrie. She's the only one in the family who really knows how to ride!

She pops on Magic once a week to exercise him for Ellie.

She works with Eddie to keep him in shape for Heidi.

Heidi's knee prevents her from riding, so her visits have just been to check on her boy, hang out, and have fun rather than exercise herself.

Micayla, Abby's owner, has been showing up every day. Her medical school doesn't start for a while yet, and if you bring a horse you may as well work with the horse! Carrie's joins her on occasion.

Same managed to tweak himself again, so I don't have recent pictures with him. He trots around fine, but Carrie says there's a lack of impulsion when she pushes him to canter. She added a new supplement to his feed and he is NOT a fan.

This is the horse equivalent to choking it down. The big baby knocked his food bowl over twice before we switched him to the bucket.

Not that it stopped him from finishing.

Sam cleaned the bucket and hated every minute of it! He's truly stomach-driven.

Sam's on a week of rest. Alex, Laura, and Carrie all ride him from time to time, so he'll probably enjoy the break.

Huck has adapted really well. He really likes to place bitey-face and has proven dominant over Eddie and Ernie. He doesn't leave Magic be either, but Magic puts him into his place when he's had enough.

Huck's super friendly with people. He's got a great personality. Whoever owns him one day will love the little guy (and that's me saying this...).

He's shown an amazing amount of trust and willingness to work. He came along further than Pippin in just a few sessions. "He's a blank slate," Carrie said.

Carrie was shocked when she put the saddle on him and he acted like it was no big thing. He went up banks and jumped over ditches the first day she introduced them!

She was so excited she had me film the second day she took him out to the obstacles. If he wasn't tiny, Carrie would probably want to keep him!

Huck's owner stopped by to check in on him one day while Carrie was out. She plans on coming by for a training session eventually.

There's all the usual chores and horse care mixed in. It could be something as simple as braiding Maddy's mane....

...or fixing a fly mask! How do they do these things?

Pippin's a character. She farts and laughs.

Really, it was a yawn. Just like the shot where I caught Maddy.

It looks like they're making noise, but the yawns were silent.

We try to do most of the work in the mornings before it gets too hot. We end up sweaty messes regardless. There's no rush, so I work at a more leisurely pace. Some of it's still pretty tough: I weighed the bucket of Sam's poop the other day and it was 72 lbs! It was also the first bucket. If I take a day off he starts to stack his piles....

First Walk and Talk

Carrie's goal this summer had to been to ride off property. She was devastated a couple of weeks ago when everything fell through at the last minute, so we were determined to make it happen this go around.

She even got a thigh pouch for the occasion! I think she's gorgeous.

Barbara went with Carrie. Sam and Maddy loaded up without issue ("Is there food? Food? There it is!").

Carrie downloaded a picture for me to post. 

Maddy was amazing. Sam was overeager, overanxious, and Carrie "had to hang on his reigns." He's young, so it's training for him. If Carrie keeps going on walk and talks it should become old hat to him.

The girls were happy to see Maddy was back!

She must have been tired, because I caught her yawning.

The plan is to trailer out at least a couple of times a month. I'd be okay if Carrie did it weekly, but the locations aren't always close by. I wish that there were more socially distant opportunities for friends and board games, but because there aren't I'll have to live vicariously through Carrie and the ponies!

Working Around

Less work seems to take more time during the summer months. There's no urgency to get the work done, but work is still going on!

Shane built a new cat house. Happy was the first customer.

Blood, sweat, and tears went into it's making.....well, maybe not seat. Shane cut himself with the scissors making it, so I can confirm the blood and tears!

Don't worry. It was barely a nick. 

Carrie's had me tag along in a support/safety role for some of her training projects. She was working with Sam on loading and unloading. I....I stood there. 

My contributions were a photo and being able to laugh when she demonstrated the effectiveness of grain with a hungry horse.

I haven't been helping with Pippin lately. Carrie's made a rig to hang some bags off her saddle to simulate a rider.

It's a trust building and desensitization game. Carrie put out a tarp held down by poles that Pippin is willing to cross more readily than any other pony on property, but wants to turn on the afterburners any time Carrie tries to actually ride her.

If Pippin can learn to walk while it feels like someone is on her back it should transfer to someone actually being on her back.

Should.

No, I've been doing more grunt work cleaning stalls.

It's not the hardest work, but it does take time (and a proximity to smells).

I found a random hole in the yard while taking Loki to pace cars.

Normally, I wouldn't care, but with horses around you want to avoid anything that could cause a trip.

Side quest accepted.

A few minutes later, 'quest complete.'

And think: That was interesting enough I took pictures. Maybe I wanted to prove to Carrie I wasn't lazing about all day?

Everyone pitches in somehow. Sam helped by 'mowing' Maddy's lot (He was happy to do it, too!).

Having a barn is like having kids. There's always a new mess to clean up somewhere! It helps to look at both as a labor of love.