Game Of Thrones

I wasn't always a fan

In fact, I resisted watching until I couldn't take the hounding Brandan gave me.

So we sat down & watched the first episode 

& we were hooked.

Binged watched all 8 seasons in 2 months.

Last night we went to a GOT 'tailgating' party so we got dressed up

I was an old Kaleesi

Lan was whoever.

But everyone there LOVED him!

I made dragon eggs

In horsey news:

I've let them out on the front pasture a couple times, in the mornings, 

for an hour & NO LONGER.

this morning I headed out to bring them to the back pasture (where their hay was put out) and Gussy ran from the back of the field to the front, where these guys are. He's got his muzzle on because with the grass coming in so well, he doesn't need to be eating it and foundering.

One Year Review: Stable Comfort Stall Matts

We've been using the Stable Comfort stall matts for about a year now & it's time for a review.

I originally had Joey & Mack on them, Joey is  TB gelding weighing about 1150 and Mack is a huge Appy gelding weighing about 1250. The matts held up to their weight FINE but Mack was terrible on the stalls. He broke the dividing wall between the stalls, chewed the doors and demolished the runs. It was easier for ME to keep him in the arena at night.

But then he would whinny at all hours if the others went out to the runs & he couldn't see them so Joey went into the arena with him.

Now its just Wifi (900 lbs) in one of the stalls & I use the other one for hay.

Here is her stall. Its standing up GREAT to the use. Shes in it for about 12 hrs every night and currently we have the run door closed (due to the gutter leaf protector being down from snow). In the mornings I always let her out first so shes much less likely to pee in it.

This is the stall right after I cleaned her poop & stripped it of shavings. I still have to use 

EXACTLY THE SAME AMOUNT OF SHAVINGS 

that I ever used before to absorb her pee but I don't have to put in enough to make it soft. But I NEVER DID bed to make them soft because they have the attached runs to go outside.

Here is the front door area and its holding up well. No matter who the horse is, they bang their front hoof on this rail as they walk out but all horses are lazy. The stall fronts we used have a metal bar across each door to hold them rigid and strong and they are the perfect height for the matts.

This is the section just to the right of the above door, under the water buckets. When we installed it the wood on the wall was rotten so Lan used the wood strip to help. It I were to replace that wall wood right there we wouldn't need to use the strip along the floor.

The robber matt top is holding up quite well. There aren't any holes or indications of them at all. They hold all the pee just fine. The pee does puddle and its a bit harder to clean up compared to a flat stall with regular matts where the pee would go underneath when I use regular shavings.

The ONLY PROBLEM I have is 

that Wifi's shedding hair sticks to the rubber matt and won't sweep off very easily. I sweep my stalls every day so there is no dirt/sand/hair where their hay falls out of the hay nets. This hair just wants to stay on it.

But this is a problem that doesn't bother me too much since horses will eat hair as they groom each other. 

Hes Fat

Gus is really hairy

and 

Gus is fat

His mane is thicker than ever before too

A little Laugh

I ordered a new blanket for Gus online and it came yesterday, just before I had to leave for work and I didn't get off till midnight. Then today I had to work at 9am & was supposed to get off at 2pm but had to stay until 6pm.

Finally got the chance to go see how he looks in it & this is what I find..

The Freakin tail flap is sewn on crooked. 

FUCK.

Last week the big horses (Mack) pushed down the fence in the front pasture and left. They were out on the road, which is an extremely busy thoroughfare with a speed limit of 45, so everyone goes 60. Fuckers are lucky no one got hit & killed.

I got a call at work from my neighbor, 'hey, your horses are in the road'.

Luckily the neighborhood came together and got the assholes back in the arena.

This is what they knocked down.

This is where we cleared it out, removed all the old crap & put up new field fence.

Because of tree roots its not possible to put wooden fence up here, or we would.

There was about 200 feet replaced.

Worlds best ladder.

Stretching the new fence.

Front fence Sunday

What it looks like right now across the front along the road, with NO fence at all. We mowed all the weeds & bushes down & now I'm surprised how shallow the ditch is, it felt/looked really deep before.

From the road.

And because the horses were locked in the barn a bit longer than normal, I went outside to feed the next morning & Mack had redecorated. FUCKER. So he stayed in the arena every night now, I don't care if those boards get chewed, I DO care if the stall doors get chewed.

This was the 2nd time Lan & I came to the farm, we brought Tank over. He wasn't feeling well, not one bit well. He died a couple days later.

And here is Gus, learning to lunge. Two weeks ago he couldn't understand to even walk forward at the end of the rope.

Gus, September to October 2018

Can you see differences in Gus in one month?

 Different things happening with him are:
He is out on pasture without his muzzle all day.
He is in his stall every night, with hay, senior grain & alfalfa pellets + raspberry leaves.
I've been lunging him 3 times each week with lots of trot to walk transitions.
He is getting groomed more often.
His winter coat is growing in.

I wonder what he will look like in another month?

I bought 2 new inner tubes for the cart.

And put padding on the arm rests. So far this thing seems ready to go.

Then and Now

Hay Loft

If you walk in to our barn and look up, this is what you see.

If you walk to the other end, climb the ladder and look, this is what you see.

If you go into the arena and look up, this is the view. We have about 8 tons of hay in the barn, with another 1.5 coming later.

I love that I can literally feed all the hay to the horses that I want to feed them & have NO FEAR of running out and having to get more. There is enough hay to last until Mid May and that's if I feed an entire bale every day between now & then.

But the horses aren't eating that much.

Last night something got & killed 2 of the quail so I opened the door & released them today. Two left, 1 male & 1 female. The lame quail stayed behind with the lame chicken. I'll keep them safe.

Harness & Cart

I spent a lot of time on the road yesterday, first over to Vashon Island to drop off computer parts for my son.

Then I drove 1.5 hours to Port Townsend and waited an hour for the ferry, rode it for 40 minutes, drove across Whitbey Island & then waited another hour for Beth. 

Beth sold me this mini driving cart, to use with Gus.

I paid $350 for the harness & cart.

The cart had surface rust, the vinyl is in OK condition, 1 tire is flat. Its going to need a few parts and maybe a few alterations.

The hubs need a good servicing & Lan can do that.

This is the suspension. I've been told its better with an upgrade.

And here is the only photo I have of the harness so far. I'll be taking a LOT more.