Animals
- Bits And Pieces For Friday
This week was the perfect week to whittle down that long list of Spring chores.The flower beds around the house are mulched.The blueberry patch is mulched. The pumpkin patch has landscaping fabric down as a weed barrier. Check, check, check. Chores...
- Equine Ice Capades
This is a familiar afternoon scene on the farm. It might look like three horses walking alone down the road, but buried in that mass of brown fur and hooves is Dr. Becky. Her horses Sid and Duffy, along with Shirley (pony and sister to my Donnie and...
- Who's Who....part 7
I often get the question..."Which animals take the most time to care for?" The answer to that is easy...no thought necessary.The horses! Cleaning up their manure three times daily...plus cleaning the pastures,feeding (in the winter time, they need lots...
- Together At Last!
I have been hesitant to put the "Bigs" and the "Littles"together in the same pasture to graze...fearing for the safety of my tiny horses. That is until the other day, when I took the Bigs to the upper pasture and heard the cries ofthe Littles as...
- Never Enough Fences!
It seems like every summer brings another fencing project.At the end of each project I say the same thing...."Now we have enough fences...no more fences."Then another summer comes along and we need another fence. This year's project is construction...
Animals
The Fat Farm
Those of you with ponies, miniature horses, donkeys or draft horses
know that keeping "easy keepers" from getting fat is a constant battle.
This time of year presents its own problems, with rich green pastures
calling to our equines... irresistibly calling, calling, calling.
My equines are in pretty good shape these days...
just slightly overweight, but not bad, truly, not bad at all.
It takes constant work and a pretty stringent schedule to keep them this way.
Years ago we fenced in a portion of our front pasture to use as a sacrifice area.
(I know.... it sounds as if we are performing some sort of sacrificial rite, right?
We are not.... I assure you.)
Our sacrifice area is our dry lot...
a large area with room enough to run...
but no room to graze.
Throughout the day I give the horses small amounts of hay to nibble.
Small amounts, often, break up the boredom.
And for a couple hours a day,
they party in the front pasture.
They eat and run and munch and play and feast their little hearts out!
You would think that with such a short time grazing,
I would have a difficult time getting them to come back into the dry lot again.
But not so.
Usually, as soon as they hear my arrival at the barn, they come running.
Well, two of them come running.
Moonbeam and Donnie are always first back to the barn.
Knowing that their yummy grain
is being served brings them enthusiastically home again.
( I don't actually feed grain, but feed a vitamin mineral supplement.)
The donkey gals are also eager for their grain,
and so they come as soon as they hear me call.
The littles....
well, that's another story.
Ollie takes a little cajoling,
and Red...
well, Red refuses to budge.
That is, until I head out into the pasture and chase him back in...
clapping my hands behind his butt.
When their afternoon meal is consumed,
it's time for a nap.
And speaking of naps....
TomTom finds some of the most unusual places to relax.
Like in the midst of the pampas grass...
He's one barn kitty who really knows how to relax!
And with no modesty, I might add!
- Bits And Pieces For Friday
This week was the perfect week to whittle down that long list of Spring chores.The flower beds around the house are mulched.The blueberry patch is mulched. The pumpkin patch has landscaping fabric down as a weed barrier. Check, check, check. Chores...
- Equine Ice Capades
This is a familiar afternoon scene on the farm. It might look like three horses walking alone down the road, but buried in that mass of brown fur and hooves is Dr. Becky. Her horses Sid and Duffy, along with Shirley (pony and sister to my Donnie and...
- Who's Who....part 7
I often get the question..."Which animals take the most time to care for?" The answer to that is easy...no thought necessary.The horses! Cleaning up their manure three times daily...plus cleaning the pastures,feeding (in the winter time, they need lots...
- Together At Last!
I have been hesitant to put the "Bigs" and the "Littles"together in the same pasture to graze...fearing for the safety of my tiny horses. That is until the other day, when I took the Bigs to the upper pasture and heard the cries ofthe Littles as...
- Never Enough Fences!
It seems like every summer brings another fencing project.At the end of each project I say the same thing...."Now we have enough fences...no more fences."Then another summer comes along and we need another fence. This year's project is construction...