17 posts tagged “zahr”
Some pics I took of the four-feet in the snow this morning. Morgana & Myfanwy were playing when I grabbed the camera & went out, but once I got out there, all they wanted to do was follow me around.
Merry was worse than the pony-girls about wanting to be right next to me.
It's been raining/snowing (precipitating) here a lot the last couple of weeks, so there's mud everywhere. True to form, Morgana is picking up her mom's bad habits, namely rolling in the mud. See:
And then there was Morgana's first snowfall:
For a brief period of time, Merry was just about the cleanest of the herd:
Jack likes the fence...
So do the horses...
And just 'cause he's cute, Ianto:
These were taken by the husband of one of my law school friends when they came down for Easter, and posted here with his kind permission.
Everyone was so fuzzy then! They've all lost a lot of hair the past couple weeks. Everything is much greener now, too.
Next set of photos posted will be of the new paddocks!
Some pics of Zahr from a few weeks ago:
Spring has been a here one day, gone the next proposition so far this year. At least we're getting rain consistently rather than snow, now. I've shifted my fence panels around a bit so the horses can go out on the grass for short bouts on the days when it's not completely soggy. They're pretty thrilled about that.
Planted a bunch of trees & bushes around the farm -- oaks, pines, dogwood, and chokecherries, plus an ornamental pear and some low juniper and a river birch. Most of them are pretty little now, but they should eventually turn into nice windbreaks for the place.
My mother painted a sign for the farm with my horse-head logo she designed for me (which you can see on the blog here) on it. It's not up yet because it hasn't been warm enough consistently to varnish it, but when it is I will post a picture of it.
Had the vet out this past Friday. Merry & Gimli have been deemed 'slightly overweight', but Zahr's weight is finally up where it's supposed to be. Yeah! Merry's excess should come off once I start riding regularly again. I have plans to create a track around the inside of the arena so I'll have someplace with decent footing to ride even when it's a bit wet. The black dirt we've got here is great for growing things, but it's frighteningly slick for riding when it's wet.
The pregnant barn cat I got with the birch tree (long story) is due to have her litter in another week, according to my vet. Poor girl is so round now, I can't imagine how she's going to make it another week, but there you have it. I'm hoping for mostly boys 'cause it's easier and cheaper to neuter than to spay. Rose (momma kitty) is quite friendly, so I'm hoping she'll stick around after the kittens are weaned, but she's totally fearless & I'm a little afraid that she'll come to a bad end. Her son, Tyler, from her last litter who came with her is a total wimp, on the other hand. I had him neutered & am hoping he'll just keep himself to the tackroom. Unlike his mother, he's not all that keen on trying to get out & go exploring. He's also discovered that being brushed is one of life's great pleasures. Why leave when you've got brushing, food, and shelter?
So by the time I got home tonight it was -6 degrees. This is one degree colder than what they claim our high is supposed to be tomorrow. The horses were pretty much hiding in the stalls (Merry & Zahr were squished together in Merry's stall when I went out to feed), so I brought them in a little early and stuck blankets on everyone.
Zahr got the heavy quilted one a) because he seems to get cold easier than Merry and b) because Merry hates that blanket. It doesn't have a front closure, so you have to slip it on over the horse's head and Merry doesn't care much for blankets anyhow, so it's a real battle getting it on him. I just put my cotton sheet (which has a front buckle) on him for a little extra insulation, & he was real good about the whole thing once he figured out that, if he stood patiently while I fumbled with the buckles & straps, he'd get treats. Sometimes it's nice having a food-oriented horse.
Zahr was very good about having his blanket put on, which pleased me. Only flinched once. He sems to be getting more confident over-all. He'll stare suspiciously at things and blow, but it's more like what Toad used to do when she didn't like something than the all-consuming fear he was showing before. He's less likely to bolt and more likely to listen, I find.
Gimli, of course, could have cared less what I did to him. The treats were nice, but I didn't need to bribe him to get the blanket on or have him stand while I fiddled (and by the time I got to him, my hands were getting pretty numb, so there was a lot of fiddling). He can be so very naughty, but he's very, very sane.
In other horsey "news": I'm officially declaring Merry 15.1 hh. I measured him a few weeks ago & he was almost 15.1, but not standing square -- I figured if he'd been standing square, he'd have made it to the .1 mark. At least, unlike so many of the show Arabs these days, Merry has normal feet & not those super long/tall things that have to add at least an extra inch (if not two) to a horse's height.
I wish I could just stay indoors (in bed) all weekend, given how cold it's going to be. Chores need to be done, though. I suspect mucking will have to take place in half-barrow stages. Fill the wheelbarrow up half-way, run into the house for a bit to thaw my hands, run back out to fill the other half & empty it, then run back inthe house...
