So it has been a while since my last post. I am so crazy busy with trying to go from a 10 acre farm full of stuff to a 2 bedroom condo. That is a lot of stuff to find a new home for.
I grateful for my Saturday morning rides. At least I am getting on once or twice a week to clear my head. I seem to be taking more pictures lately. I think I am trying to capture memories as my next life will be quite different.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Recently I proclaimed my personal hash tag to be #neveradullmoment. The Farm never lets me down on that one. So I go out to the barn to feed after work to fine George and Heather in the wrong pasture by the main barn. The gate was busted open into George and heather’s pasture.
Warlock was in Heather’s stall. Strange scenario. Not sure how or why one of the three main barn horses broke the gate latch and opened the gate between them.
My Parents are in town for Easter and to help with the packing and sorting. This past Saturday was another beautiful day for horsie selfies and my mom came out to say hi.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Other good news… Otis found a great home! He is going to be a spoiled rotten fur baby for a wonderful couple.
We were telling them about Piper and how she is doing great but has basically lost her vision and hearing from old age. I had made the hard decision that it would not be fair to take her across country. I was thinking she maybe too old to find a new home for and there are not many people willing to take on an old lady. Otis’ new family asked to meet her and said they would be willing to take her if I can’t find a local home for her. I feel such a sense of relief. Of all the good I have done fostering dogs this past year has come back to me 10 fold. Karma!
So the other day I look out my office window (upstairs of my house) to see people walking through my woods. A showing was here at the same time so I popped my head out to find out if it was them. The individuals from the showing spoke to those walking through my property. They said a calf escaped from a neighbor’s property and was running through my farm.
I went to feed that evening to find the horses still freaked out about the intruder. I called them for dinner and they wouldn’t come up.
So I walked a little closer
They were all just staring at me. I have never had them not want to come up for dinner so I walked out to them.
Finally Apple was like “oh hey Mom, OK I trust you and will follow you back to the barn for dinner”
But Chex needed a special invitation. I had to walk back to get him, he was getting upset everyone was leaving him but was still too freaked out to go with them.
They all successfully came to the barn to eat dinner but it took a little while even after that to calm down. I had no idea they would be that upset by a little cow.
The next morning all was well on the farm and I was feeling nostalgic for the farm and realizing the beauty of it and that I was leaving it all behind. I took these pictures of George with the morning sun coming up behind him.
For more information and to let us know you can help out please click here to go to the Facebook event page.
So after acquiring 100 fence posts at $1 each we are ready for part 2 of the paddock paradise track system. See the last plog post about part 1 here. This time we will be creating a track system for the horses to walk around the outside of the back pasture. See diagram below.
Diagram Key
Blue lines are fences that are already there. They were put up at the last fence party. To check out the post and see how much fun we had click here.
Yellow lines represent the new fence that will go up on the 18th that will have wooden posts and.
Red line is the fence that will be put up to prevent the horses from going into the newly dug drainage ditch. These post will be metal because we can’t get the tractor auger in that area due to the trees.
The horses will then have permanent access a 10 – 12 feet across track around the back pasture. The whole track system at that point will be a 1/3 of a mile the horses can walk on and check out every day.
Thanks in advance for your help and support of the farm.
Earlier this week I cut the back pastures. Really it is so boring going up and down. Keeping the wheel in the track of the last run. Piper came out to join me for a bit. Which was surprising as she hasn’t done that in as while. It is like she is taking over some of Shadow’s jobs. The sun-setting was beautiful and the finished product is even nicer. I guess it is an okay way to spend your evening.
It is interesting how the lay out of the whole farm is evolving. What was initially intended as the ACA (Animal Concentration Area) now has a grassy pasture in the middle of it and a paddock paradise like track around it. What was originally intended as shelter for the back pasture has been now included in the ACA. When we extended the riding ring to it’s original intended size the horses lost that part of their ACA which provided shade in the late afternoon and evening. We decided to extend the ACA on the opposite side to incorporate the shed (at the back of George and Heather’s stalls) and the 2 shade trees. The result is some very happy horses.
I haven’t updated you in a while on the grass growing, probably because it is not very exciting. The small square pasture that we built back in April – May is growing very nicely. The horses acclimated to the track system very quickly. They enjoy running around it and sometimes we spread their hay out in it. The horses at the lower end of the pecking order of the herd sometimes get stuck between two “bosses” but they work it out. Yesterday I went out to get Casey unstuck and ending up having Apple, Cuervo and Izzy follow us around.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Check out this video showing horses in confinement vs. horses living together – primarily on track. Horses in the AANHCP Paddock Paradise show up at 2.00 into the video.
I am looking forward to Phase 2 of our pasture paradise but there are a few projects ahead of it.
While slowly getting acclimated to eating lush grass the horses in the beginning are only allowed out on the pastures for a few hours per day. This prevents them from getting laminitis and foundering. So as you can imagine they are very excited to get out to the grass.
First they line up and patiently wait for the gate to be opened.
Sunbun line leader
Then the mad dash to the back pasture
One at a time no pushing
Run like the wind Chex
Come on Nash and Casey.
Then after a little bit of running around and tearing up the pasture…
So I am becoming a little more proficient and confident in using the tractor. I can load up the farm truck with manure with out denting anything. I can cut the pastures but find it so boring going around in circles. It is nice to be able to hang out with the BF while doing it.
For some, horses are a phase but for others, horses are their life.
We are equestrians and pasture grass farmers.
Have I mentioned to you I have a black thumb? Some people have green thumbs and are excellent at gardening and growing things. I am convinced I have a black thumb that kills everything. Maybe this has to do with the fact that I would rather nurture a horse than a plant. Needless to say here I am trying to get grass to grow in the new pasture. This is the before picture. This is how the ground looked when we started. The fence is up as noted in the previous post so the horses can’t trample and eat the grass before it has a chance to grow.
The next step was to scrape the field level by back dragging the tractor over all of to get the field level and fill in the hoof prints ruts. Then we dragged the field using a pull behind rake. It wasn’t heavy enough at first so we attached a cement block to it.
Next we seeded the pastured. We just used the walking broad cast seeder since the areas are not that big.
Lastly we covered the field with compost/manure. I figure this would fertilize and driving over the seed would push them into the ground a bit.
Ok we are done for the day and can let the horse back in to the ACA. The area around the new pasture. OH wait we forgot to close the gate! What are you guys doing in here? Oh rolling around will help with the seed penetration. Now get out you lot! You are not supposed to be in here!
Now we hope for rain to start the germination process. NO NO not 24 hours of straight rain. Did it wash the seeds away? Only time will tell. I am not liking those low laying areas where rain water is still standing.
9 days after seeding let’s see what we have. Well the weeds are growing but I do see some blades of grass.
How are your Pastures?
Hard to think about pastures when all I have is a soppy mess, but taking care of your horses pastures is like grown a crop of vegetables. I don’t have a green thumb but am trying to give the Farm horses the best quality grass. Here is where you start.
The gate was busted open into George and heather’s pasture.
Not sure how or why one of the three main barn horses broke the gate latch and opened the gate between them.
Golden Spike Farm's Plog 
What others are saying: