We need rain!

It has been dry, dry, dry.  This is the first summer that I've lived in NY that has been this dry.  The state actually declared an official drought warning - the first one since 2002!  Summers past, I've actually complained about the rain always washing out my weekend plans to ride Nox or sit out in the sunshine and regain some of my Hawaii tan.  Shame on me.  Now I walk around our pastures, eyeing the brown grass sadly, feeling sorry for the stressed trees, and I wish for rain!  Nox and Diesel go out in the pasture and pick around for a little while, but it's so hot and muggy that they retreat into their stalls pretty quickly.  I have a whole new perspective.  I take short showers (for me, that's serious!), wash my dishes with a trickle of water, and try to conserve our well water as much as possible.  So far, our well is fine but a few neighbors are trucking in water and I don't want to have to do that.

This morning we finally got a little relief.  Thunderstorms rolled in about 5:30 am and we are supposed to get showers all weekend.  The storms this morning were very strong and as one particularly dramatic one passed over, the cracking lightning and booming thunder sent me running out to the barn to be sure the horses were ok.  I found both of them standing outside.

Nox pretending not to hear me calling to him.

Diesel hearing me and standing his ground.

Nox spooks when a shovel is leaning against a different wall than usual, but doesn't flinch at lightning.  They both have clean and dry stalls but choose to stand in the rain.  I don't understand horse logic.   Eventually Nox heard me and came in to get a treat and eat some hay, but Diesel apparently likes the storms and stayed outside.

The sun is peeking out from the clouds as I type this and I'm glaring at it like Michael Phelps glared at Chad Le Clos.

Go away. No one wants you here.

    

End of July Already?!

It's been 6 weeks now and everyone has settled in nicely.  I can't believe how quickly July flew by!  The weather has been very hot and the flies are ruthless outside.  Even with fly masks and fly spray on, Nox and Diesel can only stand to be in the pasture in the early morning and early evening.  During the heat of the day, they prefer to stand in their shady, fly-free stalls and enjoy the breeze that blows through the barn.  When they are out, their majesties let us know they are ready to come in by standing by their paddock gates and looking annoyed.  If we don't get out there fast enough (in their opinion), they start shaking the chains on the gate to make some noise.  I've told them that at many farms, horses have to stay outside all day no matter how bad the flies are biting, but they just ignore me.

I still love doing chores, especially in the morning.  Even after a late work night, I love walking into the barn just as daylight is starting to break and hearing the soft nickers of Nox and Diesel welcoming me.  It is the perfect start to my day.  Best Husband Ever takes care of afternoon chores, and one or both of us do evening chores.  Basically, the horses are never without hay or water and any poop or pee is cleaned up very quickly.  This is ideal, especially right now in the summer, since a clean barn in a fly-free barn.  I love the warm weather but I will admit that I'm looking forward to cooler temperatures, if only because it means the flies will die.  I grew up in California and Hawaii, where it is summer all year and the bugs enjoy it as much as the people.  But here, between September and June, there are virtually no flies.  It's a wonderful thing if you love horses and I know Nox and Diesel will spend a lot more time outside in the fall.

Diesel is still in charge and Nox has accepted it.  They are buddies now, but sometimes Nox annoys Diesel.  Diesel will shoot Nox a mean look or threaten to kick him, but they haven't has a fight in a few weeks now.  I'm so glad - those first two weeks were a little rough and I had some anxiety.  I don't like to see them get hurt, but I knew I had to let them sort it out.  And of course, they did.

Our niece has been coming out to learn about horses and ride Diesel.  He is so gentle and careful with her and dutifully walks, turns, and whoas when she tells him to.  Coming from the Amish, Diesel is very used to small children and had to learn to be easy and gentle with them.  Amish boys start driving horse wagons really young - I've seen 8 or 9 year old kids handling those big draft horses!  We're just so pleased with Diesel.  He is great with adults, kids, and energetic Thoroughbreds!

So there's my update!  Come and visit anytime, we have lots of apples to feed the horses, Moose would love to play with you, and there is plenty of opportunity for healthy, outdoor exercise/stall cleaning!  =)  Here are a few pics.  Enjoy the rest of summer, it's going by so fast!

5:30 am selfie.  Nox has his grain, I have my pitchfork, and everyone is happy!

Ribbons and Faith

When I was a kid, I rode in a few horse shows.  I borrowed lesson horses or other people's horses and just showed for fun.  Competition is interesting and a good test of riding skills.  It's a way to measure your progress and how well you can remain calm under pressure, because if the rider is nervous, the horse will reflect that.  I rode a great lesson horse named Phantom in my first show when I was 13.  He was so calm and such a professional - he made me look good and we earned a blue ribbon! 

Phantom and I, and the adorable little white pony was named Clover.

First blue ribbon!

I remember another show I was in when I was 14 years old.  I was riding a sweet chestnut mare named "Copper Who".  Copper's owner had 12 horses and she let me help exercise a few of them.  When I started riding Copper, she had arthritis and moved stiffly.  I worked with her and used her for my riding lessons for about 6 months, and by the time the show came around, Cooper was moving beautifully and we made a nice pair.

I was nervous the day of the show and I couldn't calm myself down.  Copper was excited by all the activity that comes with a horse show - horses running everywhere, loud speakers blaring, people cheering and waving, ribbons and banners flapping... there is a lot of commotion for a horse to take in.  When I guided Copper into the show ring for our first class, I was shaking like a leaf and Copper's stride was bouncy and energetic.  We did alright at the walk and the trot.  I was trying to get a handle on my emotions and keep Copper under control.  But then the judge called for everyone to canter.  Copper and I ended up racing around the show ring so fast that I just remember the other horses and riders flashing past in blurs.  I tried to turn Copper in a circle to slow her down and nearly ran over the judge.  Twice.  We placed last in that class and all the rest of our classes.  When a judge has to dive into the dirt sideways to avoid being trampled, they tend to remember you and hold a grudge.  It was a crazy day and I was a little embarrassed, but Copper's owner was thrilled.  She was pleased because the horse she thought would be arthritic and lame for the rest of her life was feeling so good that she pranced and raced around like a filly.  That made me feel better, because no matter what color ribbons we won at the end of the day, Copper was healthy and I had helped make that happen.

Copper and I getting ready for show warm-up.

Soon after that show, I had to make the tough decision to give up horses for a few years to concentrate on swimming.  I wanted to earn a scholarship to college and thought I had a better chance at earning one for swimming than for equestrian sports (turned out I was correct).  I saved my show ribbons in a ziplock bag.  I saved them because I hoped that one day I would have a barn to hang them in.  Over the last 20 years I've kept that bag of ribbons, bringing them with me every time I moved, hop-scotching across the country, hoping some day I would have a barn wall to display them.

Last weekend I hung up those ribbons and I got a little emotional about it.  Half of these ribbons are 23 years old!  I've kept them for so many years; I've kept faith that one day I would have a place to hang them.  Faith that I could make this dream a reality.  It may have taken a while, but oh... it was so worth the wait.  I'm pretty sure that my show days are over, but I'm so glad that I have these colorful mementos to remind me of the little girl who knew that she'd have her own horse barn one day.

If you really want something, work hard, have faith, and make it happen.

       

One Week Later...

It has been a whole week since we brought the horses home.  I was nervous about leaving them in the pasture together while we were at work, so in the early part of the week I kept Nox and Diesel in their paddocks during the day, and let them out into the pasture after we returned home from work.  They enjoyed their time in the pasture in the evenings and were getting along very well. No fights, but every once in a while Diesel would pin his ears at Nox and make him move away.  Most of the time Nox complied, but I saw a few times where he would hesitate and resist a little, before reluctantly moving. 

I wake up early so I can finish barn chores before getting ready for work.  I love walking into the barn and seeing Nox and Diesel waiting in their stalls for me to show up.  They respond to my "Good Morning, Boys" with a nicker and nod their heads when they see me filling their feed buckets.  By Wednesday we had all settled into a good routine and Nox and Diesel were acting like great buddies.

I decided I would let them stay in the pasture together all day Wednesday, but I closed off their paddocks so they couldn't corner each other and possibly get hurt.  It was a cool day with clouds and breezes.  I raced home after work, half expecting to find a disaster when I got home, but they were both grazing happily.  I was elated!  So I left them out again on Thursday and once again, everything was fine.  Can you tell that I'm building up to the story twist? 

Friday morning, yesterday, I finished barn chores and let the horses out into the pasture.  I watched them for a few minutes, happy that they had been home a whole week and things were going so well.  I went inside to take a shower.  Best Husband Ever was up, drinking coffee and watching the morning news. While in the shower, I heard a few horse squeals.  Soon after, BHE knocked on the bathroom door and said Nox had a good sized cut on his neck.  I quickly dried off, put my barn clothes back on, and went out the pasture where Nox and Diesel were grazing as if nothing was wrong.  As I got closer to Nox, he turned to face me and my heart sank.  He had a gash as long and nearly as wide as my hand on his neck, and a big bite mark on his flank.  It looked like Diesel came after him and Nox turned into the fence as he tried to get away, catching himself on the fence post or the rail and ripping his skin open.  I haltered him and led him into the barn, and started applying gauze and betadine to the wound.  It was large and scary looking, but it wasn't terribly deep.  It was bleeding, but not gushing or spurting.  It was 6:30 am.  Well, I thought, it was about time our veterinarian knew where we lived now anyway.

The gash.

I called Dr. Anderson, our local large animal veterinarian who is fantastic, and she answered on the second ring.  A horse vet never sleeps in.  I explained the injury and sent her a photo.  She said she'd be right out to stitch the wound shut.  I emailed work to let them know I'd be late and waited for the vet to arrive.  Diesel was in his stall, neighing for Nox like he missed his buddy.  I couldn't be mad at Diesel, but I was mad at myself.  Maybe I had rushed things too quickly.  Maybe I should have kept them apart longer.  Maybe I'm a terrible horse owner and I have no idea what I'm doing.  I sent the bloody picture to Penny along with a text about what happened, and she reassured me that this was normal, unfortunately, and gashes and bites were going to happen.  Nox will have to learn to move quicker and avoid the fence.  Most of her horses that are in herd paddocks have all kinds of scars from fights and accidents.  I felt a little better.

Dr. Anderson arrived and set to work stitching the would closed.  She applied a local anesthetic so he wouldn't feel the stitch needle, and Nox stood very still, half dozing while I stroked his face.  She sprayed the area with a silver antiseptic, gave me a week's worth of antibiotics to feed him twice a day, and advised me to leave him in the paddock for the rest of the day, and then to let him back out with Diesel the next day.  She also told me that this was part of being in the herd, and agreed that Nox may be a little socially clueless but that he hopefully learned a good lesson this time.

All better!

This morning I let Nox and Diesel out into the pasture, and they behaved nicely.  They are still out there, grazing calmly and even standing near each other, although I do notice that Nox keeps a respectful distance from Diesel and he moves as soon as Diesel moves near him.  Hopefully they have worked things out and we won't have any more accidents!

Beautiful Saturday morning.

Homecoming

Yesterday, Nox and Diesel came home.  I took the day off work so I could be home with them for 3 whole days before I have to leave them alone while we're at work.  They both trailered well and I put them in their stall/paddocks.  They immediately reached out to each other over the fence, squealing and stomping their feet, but after a few minutes they were nuzzling and playing. 

Best Husband Ever had to work and I didn't want to let them into the pasture together while I was alone, so I just let them get used to their paddocks and tried to coax them into their stalls, where it was much cooler.  Neither wanted to come in at first, but eventually they came in to get water and escape the heat and flies. 

Nox came in first.

Diesel was a little hesitant.

We all settled in for the night.  I slept pretty well, but I had an ear out for any strange sounds.  All was quiet and uneventful.  I woke up early to do barn chores.  I love barn chores, but they are even better in my own barn.  I fed them first and while they ate their grain and supplements in their stalls, I cleaned manure out of the paddocks.  The sun had just come up, the birds were singing, and I could hear Nox and Diesel chewing their grain and bumping their noses against the buckets.  I love the sound of horses eating out of buckets.  It took me about 45 minutes to finish the morning chores.  When BHE joined me in the barn, I was ready to let the horses out into the pasture.

We let Diesel out first and then Nox.  They ignored each other at first and delighted in the grass and space to run in.  But soon, Nox trotted over to Diesel and started the confrontation.  The squealed and spun around and kicked at each other violently!  My heart was in my throat.  They separated briefly and came together again, kicking with their back legs.  Diesel connected with Nox - a well placed kick to the shoulder that landed with a dull thud.  That was it.  Nox conceded and took his place as second in their herd of 2.  It's not what I expected, but I prefer Diesel to be in charge, actually.  Nox can easily outrun Diesel if Diesel was to get aggressive; whereas if Nox had won, he could chase Diesel down and constantly harass him if he wanted to.  Throughout the morning, Nox would occasionally pick a small fight and Diesel would kick out without connecting, and Nox would back off.  After a few hours, they were sharing the water trough and exploring their paddocks together without incident.  I expect that over the next few days, Nox may challenge Diesel again, but I think they've pretty much settled things and I'm not as worried anymore.

I spent the day cleaning tack, organizing my feed corner, and just watching Nox and Diesel.  I took way too many pictures and sent lots of them to family.  I'm still a little numb, like I can't quite believe that this is real.  It's been a dream of mine for so long (since I was a kid!), to have horses at home.  Little by little, I've been working toward that goal.  Four years ago I adopted Nox.  Now he's home.  And we have a second horse that came home with him!  It just amazes me and I'm so grateful.  I know I say it/write it a lot, but it's important to express gratitude.  I'm thankful for a supportive family who have encouraged me along the way.  And I'm grateful for a husband/best friend who has worked so hard to help me make this dream come true.  With his bare hands, blood, and sweat, he built the framework that this dream lives in.  It's beautiful.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  And now, I will sign out.  There is some poop to scoop.

Life is but a dream.

Barn Update... Getting Closer!

It is mid-June and we are so close to having everything ready to bring Nox and Diesel home.  The contractors have finished the barn addition and the fencing, the stone dust has been smoothed out in the paddocks, and Best Husband Ever completed the stalls.  At this point, all we need to do is finish the barn accessories like stall mats and saddle racks and get hay and feed!  Here are some pictures of the barn, paddocks, and pasture:

The barn and paddocks

Another view of barn and paddocks

The paddocks looking out to the pasture

The pasture... look at that straight fence! Our fence contractor is really good.

The stalls 

Close up of stall. The cute stall latches were my birthday present last year! 

So, we are thinking that this weekend we will get everything finished up and plan to bring the horses home the weekend after!  Very exciting!

In the meantime, we are having a good time with Nox and Diesel at their current barn.  Nox did have a few nosebleeds two weeks ago - some readers may recall that Nox had a nosebleed two years ago and we rushed him to Cornell Equine Hospital, afraid that he had a fatal condition called gutteral pouch mycosis.  An overnight stay and many tests later, they couldn't find anything wrong with him and theorized that he had allergies.  So, I didn't panic this time when Penny texted that Nox was having another nosebleed but I did hurry to the barn.  It had stopped by the time I arrived, and he's had a two more over the next few days, but the weather was really dry, there was lots of pollen in the air, and I have no other explanation.  It rained most of last week and he didn't have a nosebleed.

Other than the nosebleeds, Nox is doing well.  I've been lunging him most days and riding a few times a week.  He is moving well and looking gorgeous.  I took this picture while lunging him because I was just impressed with how good he looks!

Handsome boy

Diesel is really coming out of his shell and we are seeing his true personality now.  He is much more vocal now than when he first came to the barn.  We never heard a sound from him.  I always greet Diesel first on my way to Nox's stall, but when I walk away he whinnies for me.  Penny also says that he nickers excitedly when he thinks she's coming his way with food.  He LOVES food and has now gained all the weight he needs.  He is coming along well under saddle.  BHE enjoys riding him and so do I.

Penny and her husband used to be into driving and had lots of draft horses and buggies, sleighs, and carts.  They still have quite a bit of driving equipment and offered a driving harness to us for Diesel. The other day we fitted a harness to him and just walked behind him around the property.  I was laughing because we've been exposing the poor guy to so many new things that he didn't understand, like fly spray, baths, treats, and grooming... but when we put that driving harness on him, he was completely in his element.  If there is one thing that Diesel knows how to do, it's how to drive.  His job for most of his life was to plow fields and pull wagons.  As soon as he saw the big leather collar, he lowered his head and stuck his nose right through it.  While we struggled to fit the harness and straps around him, he kept looking around at us like he was wondering what was taking so long - clearly, we were amateurs here.  We couldn't find a driving bridle, so we just hooked the long reins to his halter and hoped he'd be fine without a bit in his mouth.  We asked him to "walk on" and he strutted his stuff around in that harness and looked very comfortable and was very responsive.  I'm already envisioning winter sleigh rides and delivering Christmas cookies to the neighbors, jingling all the way.

Diesel in his driving harness

That's my update.  Stay tuned and I'm hoping my next post will have pictures of Nox and Diesel in their new barn!

Barn Update and a Surprise Announcement!

Happy May everyone!  We've had some rain and some sunshine, so the grass is green and the trees are leafing out beautifully.  I love coming home and driving up the path to our house.  Best Husband Ever (BHE) mowed the lawn last weekend, and with the lawns surrounded by meadows and trees, the place looks like a park!  Then I'll see a little group of deer in the yard and birds flitting around the feeders, and I just feel like the luckiest girl ever.   

There has been lots of activity around our place the past two weeks.  The contractors have been busy on the barn addition and today they made some real progress!

The barn last week.

The barn today!  Wow!

The new section of the barn will be the horse stalls.  You can see that the roof will extend out several feet past the barn, providing shade and protection from the rain/snow in the paddocks that will be attached to the stalls.  It's progressing quickly!

And thank goodness, because... here comes the surprise...

I planned on getting a mini donkey as a companion for Nox, but I realized that he really needs a playmate more his size.  Also, it would be nice to have a second horse that BHE can ride, and any of our friends and family.  Nox certainly isn't beginner rider friendly and I wouldn't trust him with most riders, so I thought it would be great to find a steady, easy horse that would be fun to ride.   

Please welcome Diesel to the family!

Diesel is a 14 year old Percheron rescue.  Penny went to a local horse auction two weeks ago, not planning on purchasing any horses but she wanted to see what was out there.  This horse was owned by Amish, but at 14 years old, was considered past his prime to pull the heavy Amish wagon loads (they use these huge draft horses for heavy work, and lighter horses for their road buggies).  The Amish put him through the auction, but nobody bid on him except a kill buyer.  Penny couldn't watch this sweet boy go to meat, so she outbid the kill buyer at the last second and brought him home!

I fell for him at first sight.  He's about 300 lbs underweight, his forelock had been shaved off to make it easier to put the heavy harness over his head, and his tail was cut short to keep out of the way of the wagon.  But his eyes are soft, he leaned into my hand when I rubbed his face that first day, and he was completely mystified by the carrot I offered him.

He's big!  Even at 300 lbs underweight, he is a massive horse.  He's actually not taller than Nox, but he is so beefy and wide that he makes Nox look like a fine-boned pony in comparison.  BHE rode Diesel last weekend and felt very comfortable on him.  As an Amish horse, Diesel rides, drives, and he is a very mellow, easy-going horse.  Perfect for BHE.  We had a vet examine Diesel today just to make sure there are no health concerns or leg/hoof issues, and he passed with flying colors!  We have officially adopted him into our family.  Now he just needs some fattening up, plenty of grooming, and lots of TLC.  He is coming around to our affections and though he still doesn't understand what a carrot or cookie is, we discovered that Diesel will take apples from our hand, so I see plenty of apple slices in Diesel's future.

At some point soon, we will introduce Nox and Diesel.  I'm not sure what will happen.  Nox is a dominant horse and Diesel is pretty mellow.  But Diesel is bigger and if he wanted to challenge Nox, it could be a good battle.  I think they will suit each other just fine and work it out to become good friends.   Nox is also doing well these days - I turned him out into the ring today and he ran around and rolled happily in the mud.  And, he can load into the trailer first time, every time, without batting an eye. 

Exciting things happening around here!  In another month or two, we should have everything completed and Nox and Diesel home.  Home, sweet home!

A few more pictures of Diesel... his feet are the size of dinner plates.