It has rained for 2 days straight and my ponies are soaked to the bone. On top of that, there is just enough wind to add a real chill and when I went out this morning they were all shivering.
Well the boys were. Sassy never stands still long enough to let herself shiver. She was bouncing off the walls in an effort to stay warm.
I no longer have a nice cozy barn for them to stay in, in fact there is shade )and there for a place to get out of the rain) but no windbreak what so ever. Also the three big pens are at the lowest point on the property and so guess where all the water goes. I have a solution for that, and it is all sitting in piles out side of the pens waiting to be installed. Hopefully the rain doesn't wash all my fresh dirt away. I plan to build up my pens a little with the dirt being dug up from the construction of TC's shop.
So anyway, I decided the best thing I could do for my horses is just let them out. At first Trax didn't want to move, but once he realized what I was saying, "Go to the pasture" he was off like a shot. My pasture is soaked and even flooded in some spots as well, and letting them out there will leave some hoof holes, but I prefer that to them freezing to death. (a slight exaggeration I know)
Then I noticed that Danny's old pen is on higher ground and was completely dry under the big awning. It actually opens up to the "runway" to the pasture so I opened the gate real wide, threw in three big piles of hay and then shut the main gate. Now they can eat hay and stay dry, or run to the pasture if they so desire. If they fight over the hay they have plenty of room to get away from each other, and most of all they can huddle close if they get too cold.
So now I am thinking in my head, of some way to add some walls to their shade. In a way that doesn't leave sharp edges for them to cut themselves on, and doesn't give them plywood to eat.
TC is out of town, headed to ND to deliver a truck for someone. Our poor black dog Smarty Pants is a little distressed I think. He tends to chew things anyway, but he is out of control this morning. He chewed up one of Tom's blue suede slippers, and then deposited a lovely pile of blue vomit on my bedroom floor.
What a perfect way to start my day!
Sounds like my life. I was just thinking the other day that the dogs have managed to go several weeks without soiling the carpet, and then this morning Scrappy couldn't wait for me to get out of the bathroom to take him outside. So I greeted my day on my hands and knees scrubbing the carpet. Midge was on sedatives when it was thundering.
ReplyDeleteI looked into installing walls in my stick barn, but the guy wanted to cut out the metal railings and stick in those MD Barn type walls. I wasn't about to pay him to undo something I paid someone else to do and do something different just one year later. Fortunately, these cold windy days are few and far between. I know a lady who strapped old garage doors to her railings for wind protection. I guess she found them at the dump or at a garage door shop.
There is a place down on Crismon, can't recall the name right now, that sells used and super discounted building materials. I want to say Apache Supply but I don't know for sure. Anyway I was thinking of looking there.
DeleteThe worst part about the vomit is that my daughter in law has my shampooer right now!
nothing like rain and dog hurl to make a day special
ReplyDeleteThose Labbies. Even though they generally like everyone, they can be so devoted at the same time. My girl doesn't think Daddy is a good enough substitute. She is mine through and through. Sounds like Smarty is a bit like that with TC, poor boy. It is hard on them when they are so keen on one person.
ReplyDeleteYuck. Vomit of any kind is the absolute worst way to start the day!!!
ReplyDeleteI feel you on the wind shelter. I've been in that situation before, but luckily now we have a big thicket of pine trees they can hide in. I hope you can figure out a solution. :)
It may sound a little tacky, but just using some plywood for those rare occasions when you need a windbreak is pretty easy. I just small drill holes in it, stand it up and tie/wire it to the fence. If you tie it to the outside of the fence, stand it up so it is 6' tall and then stick the next one right next to the 1st one, they really can't chew on it that easily and then when it's nice again, take it down.
ReplyDelete