Crickhollow Farm

Perfect Weekend for Horse Activities

Finally we got a perfect weekend for spending outside, doing things with the horses.  Warm, sunny, and not too windy.  It was great.

Saturday started with mucking and giving lessons, after which we did a little tackbox cleaning over lunch.  Then Bonni & I tacked up Rocky & Merry & went for a ride down in the arena.  Yes, there are pictures this time.

Merry did really well.  We got in some canter work -- on both leads!  It's not the prettiest yet, I pretty much just let him have his head and let him balance as he will, but he doesn't feel confident in the gait with me up yet.  Prettiness will come with time and a better balance.

Rocky did well, too.  He was petering out towards the end, but Bonni was able to get him moving again without any battles, so it's all good.

 

Summery Day

The last two days have been really lovely & summery here, with highs in the lower 70's.  It's not going to last, of course.  Temps should be headed back down tonight (because we are apparently not allowed to have a warm weekend for the Expo).  I've had the horses out on the grass in the evenings for a bit to enjoy it until it gets cold & wet again & they're not allowed out.

The girls were positively wild when I let them out into the north paddock tonight.  Myf leapt into the air on multiple occasions and gave me a scare by skidding to a halt in front of the fence and then limping away from it.  At a canter.  She just kept zinging along, that one back hoof never hitting the ground until she just started trotting, stepping out & putting weight on it just fine.  Must've only been a twinge. 

Annie even was launching herself into the air and charging around with a bit of a flagged tail, looking very fit & powerful.  Of course, she's in season right now.  Yes, that's right, my 26 year old mare, who has not been bred since '08, is in season.  I'm kind of impressed.

 

Green Grass

I have managed to get the horses out on grass a couple of times this past week.  They haven't been allowed out on it for very long -- we need no colic or founder here -- but they were very excited about getting out at all. 

Merry knew what was going on as soon as I started shifting the temp-fence panels around and got himself quite worked up.  It was particularly hilarious that first time, because Rocky had no idea what was going on.  Poor guy just stood up in the door to Zahr's stall and watch in confusion as the other boys went bolting out into the green as soon as I opened the gate.  I actually had to call him down and talk him through the gate.  He's an odd one, is Mr Rockmeteller.  (This is where I have to admit that, in my mind, he's not Rocky after the fictional boxer, but after Rockmeteller "Rocky" Todd of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves & Wooster stories.  He's just that sort of hapless goof that populates those stories.)

Getting them back up off the grass is always a challenge -- I can usually get Merry & Zahr running & wound enough that they'll barrel up into the paddock & I can shut the gate behind them.  Rocky & Gimli I have to go fetch with a lead rope.

The girls all had to be fetched with the lead, too.  Although, I didn't nearly have the battle with Morgana that I sometimes have in the past.  Once I had the rope on her, she came along well enough.  No tricking her by backing her towards the gate this time.

Unfortunately, with all the rain we've had in the last day, & look to be getting over the next few, it'll probably be a while before I can get them back on the grass again.  I don't want them tearing it all up because the ground's too wet.

While I didn't have the camera when the boys went on their big tear their first day out, I did get some photos of them out grazing (and one of Rocky pacing the fenceline, looking forlorn after I locked them back in the paddock -- I won't post that one 'cause he'd just rolled in the mud and looks entirely too gross in it).  I'll post a few of the best here.

Almost Like Spring

The weather here today is downright pleasant.  Sunny, with next to no wind (those who have visited the farm will understand what a rarity that is), it was a lovely day to be out doing barn chores.  I swapped into one of my not so heavy-duty winter barn jackets and still ended up taking it off for a while.

Yes, I was mucking in jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt for a while today and we're not yet out of February.  It's weird.

Annie is starting to shed now, not a day after I was telling Bonni that she hadn't started yet and that normally she would be doing so by now.   Animals do love making liars out of us.  I should try to go after them all with some grooming implements tonight.  Knock some mud off of them (for a brief time, anyway) and work the wind-knots out of Merry's mane.  He's terribly prone to them.  I should keep him in braids, but it just seems warmer to leave it loose in the winter.  He probably wouldn't notice the difference so long as I was consistent.

The horse all were being pests today whilst I was mucking.  Zahr kept trying to open the outer door to his stall and Myf was even poking at the outer door in Annie's stall.  I was using the Deere & spreader today (no snow!) and that was inciting Myf & Morgana to riot, the goofs.  It was entertaining to watch them tearing around the paddock as I'd drive past, though.  I think they're all getting a little stir-crazy.

I also took advantage of the weather & lack of snow to bring up a couple of loads of hay with the Deere.  It makes me feel all productive, even if it wasn't a lot.  Still, I should have enough up now that I won't have to go drag any up through the rain/snow mix they're predicting for most of next week.  I'm not looking forward to that.

Horses at Play

The horses were being quite wild & playful this afternoon.  As I was getting ready to go out to give them their evening hay, Myf & Morgana were being goofs on one side of the barn whilst Zahr and Rocky were being goofs on the other. 

Myf was on a rope twirling binge, which seemed to make Morgana jealous.  Myf would buck and run a bit, but mostly she just twirled and twirled...  Morgana stood nearby at one point, looking like she wanted to have the rope, but getting her face too close would have meant getting hit with it.  It was hilarious.  Myf did eventually drop the rope and they went careening around, bucking & hopping.  The jolly ball was even put into play at one point.

Zahr, meanwhile, was trying, semi-successfully, to get Rocky going.  He did run and buck a bit, but mostly it was Zahr hopping about, trying to harass him into action.  He had his tail flagged and was looking quite handsome, as he does when he gets revved.  He almost got Merry going good, but I think he was more concerned about his (woefully empty, just ask him) stomach than playing.  He kept going back towards the barn and poking around for any bits of hay that might've escaped from lunch.

I would have liked to get pictures but, as it was dinnertime, I knew that all action would stop as soon as I opened the back door.  I just stood and watched from inside for a while, until it looked like Rocky would appreciate the rescue.

Happy Autumn

Now that it's actually autumn, the weather is turning sunny again, just to be perverse.  We did get some rain for a few days, for which I am grateful, but it's nice to see the sun again.  It should be a good day to do some work in the barn.  It's cool enough that I'm hesitant to spent much time outside until my hair is at least mostly dry.  (By the time I'm done typing this, it should be close enough that I can braid it tightly and shove a hat on my head, at least.)

Barn agenda for today involves mucking stalls (big surprise there), washing everybody's blankets & hanging them to dry so they'll be fresh for the coming winter (I've had them hanging in the barn & then out under the overhang since their last use and they've become somewhat dusty.  I'm sure there are cobwebs, too.  Yuck.), and shifting a little more hay up.

Merry and Zahr (particularly Zahr) acquired some truly spectacular wind-knots in their manes during the recent windy, stormy days.  I made an attempt at untangling them last night whilst they ate their dinner, but more needs to be done.  Show Sheen or Cowboy Magic will definitely be needed on Zahr's.  I brushed Gimli a bit, too.  They all seemed to enjoy the attention, and Gimli would poke me in the back while I was working on Merry, looking for more attention.

I have a bad feeling that this is going to be a cold, cold winter.  It may be selective amnesia on my part, but it seems like the horses are all much fuzzier much earlier than usual this fall.  Myf isn't looking like a goat just yet, but Gimli's red beard is definitely in evidence already. 

I've been debating getting Annie a new turnout blanket or sheet for this winter.  The one I got her when she was pregnant ended up being too big for her otherwise, and is now Zahr's.  I've been using Toad's old stable blanket on her when it gets super cold, but it wasn't designed for turnout, and there are a couple of little tears.  She probably could use something a little more weather and Morgana-proof...  (Morgana is a pest and likes to tug on other people's blankets.)  I've been keeping an eye on the sale stuff in the tack catalogues.  Mostly, the ones I like are either expensive even on sale, or don't come small enough.  It won't be the end of the world if I can't find one for her, since she has the one blanket & it's not in tatters yet, but it'd be nice if I could.

Morgana herself has a turnout sheet for this winter.  Brand-new, I picked it up at the Expo tackswap for cheap.  Hopefully it will actually fit her considering I was pretty much guessing on how big she'd be by winter.  I should try it on her today/tonight just to see how close I was.  She and Annie don't need blankets much -- they hide in the stall when the weather is bad & get pretty fuzzy anyway.  Hardy ponies, don't ya know.

Hay Stacked

Here's what I accomplished today:

I also shifted around what's left in the shed so that the more alfalfa-rich bales from the second cutting would all be basically on one side of the shed.  This enabled me to uncover the rest of the stemmy first cutting so I can work on getting it up to the barn before third cutting.  I'd like to get the first cutting up so that I have mostly second & third for over the winter.  Save the best for last, what?

Another hot day

It's been another of those bally hot days today.  Had the horses out on the grass most of the afternoon whilst I moved hay from the shed to the barn, and the boys were all distinctly sweaty when I brought them back up to their paddock.  After topping off their water trough, I decided that showers were in order & proceeded to spray Gimli and Merry down with the hose, which they seemed to appreciate.

Zahr looked perfectly miserable, but I knew that spraying him would be pushing it, so I broke out the bathing bucket & sponge.  It was the first time I'd tried bathing him since the infamous incident just after I brought him home where he flipped out and did a runner, going missing overnight.  He was a little concerned to start, but I think I won him over to the pleasure of cool water on a hot day.  Gimli tipped the bucket over at one point (quite deliberately, the little blister), and Zahr stood whilst I refilled it with the hose.

Happy Birthday, Morgana!

Two years ago today I went out to the barn at about 0530 and discovered a wee little filly lying on the ground at Annie's feet.  She was a good week earlier than even the two weeks early date range I'd been guessing Annie would foal, and Annie hadn't shown any sign that she was going to foal soon when I'd put everyone up the night before, so it was a bit of a surprise to see her there.  I didn't even have a filly-name picked out, but she was Welsh and I'd been watching the BBC's Merlin, so Morgana she became.

Suits her just fine, don't you think?

Having a Ball

So I have a couple of yoga balls, one of which is fairly large (meant for use by a very tall person) but, sadly, not large enough to actually use as a desk chair, which is why I'd bought it.  Since being rejected as a seating option, it has suffered attack by two wee kitties with tiny, needle-like claws.  It holds air ... for a time.  Since the holes in its skin make it totally useless to me, I decided that the equines might enjoy having it as a toy.

Took it to the girls first, who poked at it a bit, but kept abandoning it to try to get food out of me.

This is as much a Annie had to do with it.  She basically poked it once and then ignored it.  She's not much into toys.

 

June already?

A month since my last post...  I've been having computer troubles, nearly since then, and have been pretty limited in my on-line activities during the course of them.  Ended up breaking down and just buying a new one because my frustration levels with the old one had maxed out.  It wasn't an expense I'd planned for (are any of them?), but the new machine should be better for work, so it's not all bad.

 

It was a beautiful day today, but my horse activities were sadly confined to doing things for them rather than with them.  Had to pick up feed and work on clearing out the hay shed (desperately need to get the hay cut, but haven't heard back from the hay-guy yet; eep!).  I suspect that they were just as happy to be able to go out on the grass once I got home and not be bothered.

I did ride earlier this week, though, so I'm not a total failure.  Tossed my helmet on, bridled Merry and had a little bareback ride in the arena.  He was super good, and we had some nice trotting going on.  It was an excellent first ride of the year.

It's been quite warm this week & everyone is pretty much shed-out (Zahr is looking particularly glossy and nice), except for Gimli and Myf.  They keep hanging on to their hair.  Myf looking more horse-like, but she's still got a ton to drop, even after the concerted application of the shedding blade.  I hope she can let go of most of it soon, here.  This coming week sound like it's going to be brutal - 90s and humid.  Gimli's not quite so furry as her, but he's still got some generous patches of fuzz that stubbornly refuse to go.

 

 

Actual Spring

The weather was gorgeous yesterday (52 and sunny!), and despite the fact that the main paddocks are absolute mud pits, the arena and north paddock were both relatively dry (not dry-dry, but not squishy & bog like, either).  I took advantage of this and let the boys out into the arena and the girls into the north paddock to get out of the mud & stretch their legs a bit.  There's no real grass in either area at this point (not that it stopped them from trying to graze), so they got their lunch hay taken out there for them.  They all seemed to enjoy it immensely.  I did have the camera with me, so there are pictures!

(Please forgive the muddy coats.  They were just in a lot of mud and certain individuals like to roll.  A lot.)