HORSE WORK
As much as I love them, the horses have really become a burden; financially and otherwise. The hay for the winter costs over $600 for three horses. I have no electric waters, so I have to pail fresh water every day in the winter from my bath tub. I do not own a tractor of my own, so I have to have someone do it for me, or I have to pitch it over the fence twice a day. In short, I pretty much do not have the means it takes to properly take care of the animals without other people helping me all the time.
I have considered selling them. It's not my first choice of options, but the only rational one that sounds like the right thing to do. Horses are pretty much my life outside of my girls. I ride when I can, I enjoy babying them and working with them, and in the summer it's a piece of cake to care for them. It's the winter months that are the hardest.
Because of my dilemma, I called a friend who had been considering purchasing some horses but wasn't sure if he was ready to be a horse owner or not. I told my friend that if he boarded my horses for the winter (I will provide all the hay they need), the horses could be his for the winter and beginning spring months. He could ride them whenever, take them places, they were his. The only stipulations were he had to take all three of the horses, and he HAD to keep them all winter. He was ecstatic over the offer. He checked with is parents and brother, since that is where he would be keeping them, and it was a go.
Last Friday, I got a call from a sweetheart of a neighbor that lives south of York. I was getting my hay from her this year. The hay was ready and they were bringing it into the yard, so I could come out and get it. I called my friend to let him know. We were going to haul the hay straight out to his parents farm. He said he had to go to his parents place to get the trailer and he would come right over. I thought it was taking him a very unusual length of time to call me back, and when he did, he said his brother had a change of heart and didn't want the horses out at his place any more.
It almost devastated me. I was not planning to keep the horses this winter, so I didn't have a place set up for hay, I only had a light electric fence up, and my parents had two of my horses at their place I had to move to my house. There was a good day and a half of work that I needed to do to be prepared for keeping the horses over the winter. I called a friend from Leeds. She came over and helped me put in a better fence and get an area setup for hay. I called the gal I was getting hay from, and told her I didn't' have a way to get it and if she could bring it here. After another few hours, we got hay delivery arranged and all the hay was stacked in my yard by 7:30 p.m.
Today, I took the horse trailer to the Farmers Union and had a tire fixed on it so I could run over to my parents and pick up the two horses from their house. I got the two horses home and things went okay. My two older mares don't really care for Mack and have been picking on him, but he seems to be okay with it.
Tomorrow is my day off. I have the guys coming to put in the new furnace in my house. When they leave I need to go outside and clean up the yard, and walk the fence and do repairs in the fence line where it is hanging down to make sure it is okay for winter.
I have considered selling them. It's not my first choice of options, but the only rational one that sounds like the right thing to do. Horses are pretty much my life outside of my girls. I ride when I can, I enjoy babying them and working with them, and in the summer it's a piece of cake to care for them. It's the winter months that are the hardest.
Because of my dilemma, I called a friend who had been considering purchasing some horses but wasn't sure if he was ready to be a horse owner or not. I told my friend that if he boarded my horses for the winter (I will provide all the hay they need), the horses could be his for the winter and beginning spring months. He could ride them whenever, take them places, they were his. The only stipulations were he had to take all three of the horses, and he HAD to keep them all winter. He was ecstatic over the offer. He checked with is parents and brother, since that is where he would be keeping them, and it was a go.
Last Friday, I got a call from a sweetheart of a neighbor that lives south of York. I was getting my hay from her this year. The hay was ready and they were bringing it into the yard, so I could come out and get it. I called my friend to let him know. We were going to haul the hay straight out to his parents farm. He said he had to go to his parents place to get the trailer and he would come right over. I thought it was taking him a very unusual length of time to call me back, and when he did, he said his brother had a change of heart and didn't want the horses out at his place any more.
It almost devastated me. I was not planning to keep the horses this winter, so I didn't have a place set up for hay, I only had a light electric fence up, and my parents had two of my horses at their place I had to move to my house. There was a good day and a half of work that I needed to do to be prepared for keeping the horses over the winter. I called a friend from Leeds. She came over and helped me put in a better fence and get an area setup for hay. I called the gal I was getting hay from, and told her I didn't' have a way to get it and if she could bring it here. After another few hours, we got hay delivery arranged and all the hay was stacked in my yard by 7:30 p.m.
Today, I took the horse trailer to the Farmers Union and had a tire fixed on it so I could run over to my parents and pick up the two horses from their house. I got the two horses home and things went okay. My two older mares don't really care for Mack and have been picking on him, but he seems to be okay with it.
Tomorrow is my day off. I have the guys coming to put in the new furnace in my house. When they leave I need to go outside and clean up the yard, and walk the fence and do repairs in the fence line where it is hanging down to make sure it is okay for winter.
posted by Janelle @ 6:21 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home