So I had issues with my car this morning & couldn't go into work as a consequence. It's in Kilkenny at the garage getting fixed now, so I should be good to go for tomorrow. I'll probably work Saturday to make up for not going in today. Grrr.
I let the horses out into the arena to play in the fresh snow from yesterday's storm. Took a few pictures...
First snow storm of the season is here. The wind is blowing something fierce, swirling the snow around. It's hard to tell how much is actually coming down & how much of it is just being picked up again by the wind. Merry & Gimli have sensibly tucked themselves away in the barn out of the elements, but Zahr is standing outside, looking miserable. There is plenty of room in the stalls for all three of them to be inside (Merry & Gimli often share a single stall), and even if he didn't feel comfortable sharing a stall with one of them, he could still tuck himself up next to the bulidng under the overhang for a little more protection. But no, he's standing out just beyond the overhang, collecting snow.
I hope he's not too cold. I have blankets, but my full-size quilted one is one of those that doesn't have a clasp in the front so you have to slip it over the horse's head to get it on & I don't know how he'd take to that. Merry hates it -- I keep meaning to buy a new one that's easier to get on, but I haven't yet. Besides, I hate putting on blankets so early in the season, it interferes with the growth of their own winter coats. It's not like there's anyone who can throw a blanket on him should the weather get nasty while I'm at work, so it's best that his own coat be allowed to get as thick as possible.
If he won't go inside, I guess it can't be bothering him too much, right? Right.
It was pointed out to me a few weeks back by Bonnie that it's been quite some time since I've posted anything here. She also tormented me with a link to the MN Hooved Animal Rescue. There is (was, by now?) a cute little black Arab mare as well as some other nice horses for adoption, but I've imposed a moratorium on getting any new animals until after winter is over, so there are no new additions to Crickhollow. I'm sure everyone who knows me realises that I'd adopt them all if I could, but one must concentrate on taking care of the critters one has and knowing when to quit.
I think my next equine acquisition is going to be a good quality mare/filly anyway. There was a really lovely two year old filly at the MN Arabian Horse Breeders Fall Fest that I & my mother quite liked. She was brought up from Iowa. My mother spoke to her owner, & while she's not really looking to sell her right now she promised to keep us in mind if she changes her mind in the next couple years. Of course, I'm also going to be keeping an eye out for Trakehner mares, too. I still have that non-Arab breeding to BlacklordFalkahnn, after all...
And for those who haven't seen any of these yet, here are some photos family friend & photographer Pat Nau took of Merry (& myself, sadly) this summer. I'm going to upload a few others later on, but I don't have the disc at hand so you only get what I have on my harddrive. Click on the pics to see them bigger.
Zahr may be mortally afraid of the hose, but he's really good for the farrier. My farrier came out & trimmed all the boys' hooves on Monday. Zahr was downright relaxed about the whole thing - though it helps that my farrier is a very quiet, gentle person. Zahr now has nice, neat little hooves. Much better than they were.
Thinking about Zahr & his issues (my farrier's response to hearing that my new horse has some issues was basically a rather sarcastic "a rescue-Arab with issues? No.), I've come to the conclusion that what makes them scary/difficult to deal with is the fact that they make him stop thinking.
One of the things that has always impressed me about Merry is that he's pretty much always thinking. Even when he gets scared or startled, he keeps thinking and will calm down really fast once he's reassured that everything is okay. He doesn't stay freaked out; he moves on. Zahr doesn't do that. At all. He gets startled and it's like his mind is just gone. His only thought seems to be to get as far away as possible.
I don't know how much of that is learned and how much is just how he's wired, but I figure something had to have happened to make his startle reflex so crazy-strong. It's really sad and makes me want to hurt whoever taught him to be that way.
Anyway, I'm thinking that for this winter for sure (and possibly starting sooner) I'm going to start turning Zahr out in the paddock with Merry & Gimli during the day. That will give me the ability to block the gap around the bottom of the back door with straw bales to keep snow & ice out & warm air in. I also figure that the area right outside that back door will be likely to build up ice since the really nasty winter storms seem to have an inexplicable tendancy to come from the east around here, which would make it dangerous for him to walk on. He'll also have better shelter with the other boys. With the two 12x12 stalls they should have plenty of room to huddle for warmth however they're comfortable if the weather gets nasty. Half the time, Merry & Gimli share one stall anyway.
It's been raining all day here (and is so very chilly), so I didn't really do anything with anybody today. Merry saw his first umbrella today when I took mine with on a run into the barn to muck stalls. He found it very interesting, and I put it close enough to the bars of his stall for him to touch it with his muzzle. Thankfully, he did not try to eat it.
Well I've had a traumatic beggining to my weekend. Last night I decided I was going to give the horses each a quick spray down with the hose before putting them up for the night -- they'd been grazing in the arena & Merry & Zahr had done quite a bit of running around, leaving them both pretty sweaty.
I bathed Merry first & stuck him in his paddock & the brought Zahr up. I stood him by the hose & turned the nozzle on slowly and pointed off to the side so as not to startle him and he just flipped out. Tore the lead rope right out of my hand (I have rope burn blisters on my palm and on the side of my middle finger) and went galloping off around the edge of the property, then up onto the road and over the hill.
I have never seen a horse move so damn fast in my life. Not even at the track. Some neighbours were coming down the road just then & they stopped to pick me up so we could go after him, but by the time we crested the hill, he was nowhere to be seen.
Ended up with a whole crew of people out searching for him well past dark (it was dusk when he bolted). I was out riding on the back of one neighbour's ATV with him, canvassing the fields until almost midnight. I had to go to bed with my horse still missing.
A thunderstorm rolled in at about 04.30, which didn't help my worrying any. I got up at 06.00, fed Merry & Gimli and got ready to go searching for Zahr again. I was out on foot looking for him from 06.30 to 10.00, when I was just too tired to keep going. There's only so much territory one can cover on foot.
A little before noon, as I was sitting down to look for the url of that missing horses noticeboard, we got a call from the sherrif's department. My mother had called them last night to report that he was loose & give a description in case someone saw him (or he got hit by a car or something), & sure enough, someone had just called them to report a loose horse -- about a mile or so from where I had left off looking.
My dad & I ran down there with the horse trailer with two of the neighbours following on their ATV. Between the four of us we eventually caught him & got him in the trailer for his ride home. He was tired, hungry & sweaty but was still in that wired, super-suspicious frame of mind.
He's peaceably grazing in his paddock now, & I'm going to be taking a soaking bath & going to bed early tonight as I am thoroughly exhausted. His feet are (not surprisingly) even more chipped up than they were to start, and pulling this stunt caused him to miss his appointment with the farrier, which had been scheduled for 07.00 this morning. Oh the irony. I wouldn't be surprised if this has him dropping the extra couple of pounds he'd gained since I bought him, either. Other than that, he doesn't seem any worse for wear. I just hope having been out & scared all night helps him appreciate his nice cushy stall & regular food and water a bit more.
It makes me really wish I could afford a fence to go around the whole perimeter of my property. The neighbouring corn field made a pretty good fence, but there was just nothing to stop his flight onto the road. This was seriously one of my worst nightmares come to life. I'm just gratefull it ended was well (& quickly) as it did.
Zahr being led from trailer to barn (& through that to his paddock). Merry is very interested.
Merry & Gimli going to the fenceline to stare at Zahr as he enters his new paddock.
Zahr in his paddock with Merry & Gimli looking on. Pretty good shot of the barn in the background.
Zahr is staring at Merry & Gimli, who are grazing in the arena. He got quite attached to them very quickly.
The three boys grazing in the arena together on Thursday -- their first time out in the same space together. Obviously, food was their priority. I actually got them to run and play a bit on Friday evening when I put them out, but I didn't have the camera on hand. Too bad: I could have got some good shots.
I brought Zahr home today. As usual I have photos, but haven't got them off the camera yet, so they'll have to be on a later post.
He's settling nicely. Merry keeps staring at him and wants so much to be friends, but it's hard when there's a fence in between. After a couple of weeks I may let them out in the arena to play/ graze together & see how they interact w/o the fence. Zahr bellowed earlier today when I took Merry into the barn after longing him in the more finished end of my unfinished arena. They seem surprisingly attached after such a short time.
I have to run & eat my dinner now. I'll try to provide updates this week, but I have required overtime at work so who knows if I'll have enough braincells/energy left to say anything worthwhile at the end of any given day. I do have Thursday off for vet visit & errands, so hopefully I'll be able to update then, at least.
Quick update because I am so, so very tired. Barn is basically done (some lingering issues with the construction + stuff that I have to do to it myself). Merry & Gimli's paddock is up, though waiting for the white vinyl top rail (a special order & wasn't ready when the installer picked up the arena parts), and they have been moved into it & their new stalls. Merry seems to quite like his stall & spent most of yesterday napping in it (both on his feet and on the ground -- he came out with shavings in his mane a couple of times).
I came home tonight to the sight of the fence guys working on my arena. Only part of one side is up, but it's very exciting to see it take shape & looks very pretty. It will be five foot high white vinyl. (The paddock is six foot RedBrand No-Climb horse fence with the vinyl rail on top -- when that arrives. Not quite as low maintenence as the steel pipe would have been, but pretty low & about as safe as it gets. I'm definitely going to have my other paddocks/pasture done in it once I can afford to have more put up. Great foal fence.)
I have a picture of the boys grazing in their new paddock but haven't got it off the camera yet. I spent the weekend getting Merry & Gimli's stalls done, which meant wrestling with heavy rubber mats. My whole body is sore & stiff, and I have bruises all over. I still have Zahr's stall to go. Need to finish getting rid of the garbage heap behind the barn, too, so I can move my round pen panels over to create his paddock next to Merry & Gimli's. The plan has been revised to bring him home this weekend. (Yeah!)
I think that's about it. Time to vegitate/catch up on sleep. Mmmm, sleeeep...
Just a quick post to announce the fact that I am puchasing the Arab gelding, Yahzahrs Psyche, that I spoke of two posts ago. The woman who has him now will be keeping a hold of him for me until the first weekend in August, by which time I hope to have the barn & fencing finished. (There have been developments in the fencing issue that I haven't the energy to go into right now. Short version: I will no longer be purchasing Priefert fence. I'm going to have my arena done in vinyl/pvc and the paddocks will be six foot No-Climb mesh fence from RedBrand. I'll be getting considerably more done, too, since it's much cheaper. ETA: Or not. I guess we're going with just the arena and stallion paddock still and figuring that any savings can be applied to the electrician for the barn.)
I'm excited about getting Zahr. He's quite shy, but also very sweet and he tries really hard to do what you ask. I think he'll make a nice addition to Crickhollow.
I've been taking pictures of the barn site at each stage, from grassy hillock to prepped site to what's put up at the end of each day (that the contractors show up). The last shot is how it looks right now.
