Bottom's up

I've decided that we are going to replace all the floor boards in the trailer.  This comes at a time when I actually NEED my trailer but luckily a boarder at KCRC is more than happy to help me move my mare to her new home this Saturday.  Phew!

Most of the boards are okay but are tongue in groove and seem to have been reused wood from some other project???  Some boards have cracks beginning and the floor seems springy in areas.  Not feeling secure enough to let my mare on the trailer at this time, even for practice!

We are moving Saturday and plan on parking the trailer in front of our house later that day.  We'll remove the boards (after we figure out how that works since it appears the boards all fit between two lips vs. being bolted in).  Then I'll treat areas that need treatment and assess if there are any other issues to address.  We'll then install a new floor.

The previous owner had a layer of plywood screwed to the floor.  I guess it was a good idea in the sense that it distributes the weight bad idea in the sense that wood on wood accelerates the decay by trapping moisture.  Not what we intend to do!!!  My matts also tore in half from hanging them up on one of the diveders (oops) still usable but eventually I'll want to get matts that perhaps are cushier and have a grippy non-slip surface.  Once the floor is done I can finally haul in the trailer, just bummed that we hadn't looked more closely until now.  Still, fixing the leaking roof was priority number one.

Wheel Barrow Full of Pony Supplies

I made several trips with the wheel barrow to my car.  Supplies I don't need on hand just now.  Why?

Dani is moving to a pasture board place out east!!!!  It was a hard decision since I've loved being the one to 100% take care of Dani and having her fairly close to my home.  The barn she's moving to is about 15 minutes further out but it's full care.  This winter Dani won't be stuck in a small area with me unable to ride.  Instead, I'll be unable to ride during the week but she'll have a large 10 acre pasture to share with 3 other horses!

It's been eating at me, she's been happy and fine and not shown any ill effects having less space but I just know in my heart I wanted her on pasture.  If the barn down the road from KCRC had worked out we would probably still be there.  KCRC was a quick decision in order to leave a bad situation and I didn't want to barn hop after that move, so we stayed.  We stayed longer than I intended but we've had a great stay.  It's a nice facility and nice to be close to all the KCRC activities.

The move is going to be a bit complicated since I've recently discovered there is no way I'll letting Dani in my trailer until we replace the floor.  More on that later....

We move this Saturday!

Serene sunday

Lost Post: The Luckiest

This is a post I never published!! It's from the winter time obviously. Figured I'd get this out there even though it's summer now!

At the end of a long day I traveled to the barn to feed Dani. The chilly wind was blowing; it was cold but not cold enough to freeze the ground. Her pen was full of sloppy wet mud mixed with manure. I did my best to sift the “apples” from the muck, then grabbed some hay and fluffed it apart and into her feeders. I prepared her supplements; Dani gets so excited when she hears the sound of me opening that package each day. After all my barn chores were done I watched her eat while I stroked her neck. I nestled my face into her neck and breathed deeply. What a warm scent horses have. Dani wrapped her neck around towards me, gave a sweet nuzzle, sighed and continued back to munching her hay. I love these moments, sometimes more than riding. I love the moments when I just hang out and can truly BE with Dani. The barn is quiet, aside from the sounds of munching hay and the occasional leisure snorts. It is peaceful here even with the frigid gale outside.

There are days when I come to the barn and I'm dragging. It may have been a long day at work and driving half an hour to the pony before I can get home can sometimes seem like too much. The cold, the muck, and the lack of free time…to an outsider it probably seems odd that I keep on with this "horse stuff". 

But I consider myself lucky. I get to drag myself out every day, through mud and snow, heat and insects to care for this wonderful animal, this cherished friend. I get to bury my face in her long thick mane and pet the soft velvet of her red muzzle. I have the pleasure of removing the twigs in her tail, wiping her eyes and tending to her beautiful hooves. I get to watch her run, tail up high and nostrils blowing as she shows off for another horse.

I've stomped through mucky mud lately, been unable to ride due to darkness or ice or sheer wind force I cherish every moment I have with Dani. I am the luckiest. I have a sweet mare to greet me every day after work, nuzzling my hands for treats, trying to groom me while I brush her, and tolerating me hanging on her neck as she tries to eat in peace. I love to take in her warmth, to cuddle her and savor that fact that I have a pony. She is a lifelong dream come true and even though this means sacrifices in other areas of my life I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Reflections and J-Rail

The rear lights are nicely secured and now I've begun application of the reflective tape.  I've used a current WW Trailer image to see where the tape goes and have cut our the pieces to fit nicely.

Caution Horses was an addition.  I like it though, more reflections of light will warn people of slower driving since I will have living cargo.

I took a picture during the day but with flash to show the reflections of the tape.  Neat!

Steve and I also got the J/drip rail up on the top.  We first taped it on to let the rolled material relax.  From a distance the trailer looked like Frankenstein!  LOL

The drip rail has a strong adhesive but in some spots Steve and I want to run some rivets through to hold it in place for added security.  Some of the trailer seams make it not such a smooth surface to stick to.

I'm hoping this will prevent the dirt streaks down the side of my trailer.

Feeling very accomplished to get this trailer's finishing touches complete.

The reflective tape looks great....

 even if I messed up the pattern on the one side of the trailer.  The last area behind the fender is where the spare tire goes, perhaps a tire cover with a reflective strip will work there? It doesn't make sense to place tape on the trailer when the tire will block it anyways.  I think my trailer is nice and visible now!!

Next up:

Caulking seams

Gravel Guards

Serene Sunday

Horse blankets fresh from the cleaners means extra wonderful Sunday afternoon nap.

Fenders and Lights

The painting is complete but there are still some finishing touches needed on the trailer.  We put new rear lights into the holes and found we need to grind out the bottom hole slightly to get the lights really secure.  They look nice though and are LED’s so will be brighter.  The running lights have to be drilled and screwed into place so we’ll get those done soon.

On my own, one hot day this weekend, I installed the fender trim.  This is a black trim that goes on the fender edge and makes for a nice look in addition to covering any sharp edges that a tied horse could become injured on.  They were so easy to put on and make a nice finished look to the fenders.

Next I placed the Caution Horses sign on the rear door.  I had a few issues with bubbles but nothing terrible.  Before I apply the reflective tape strips I need to find a good smoothing tool to better apply the tape.  I’ll need assistance from the hubby to get the drip rail on and to finish up the lighting installation.  I'm getting ready to buy some material for the gravel guards that will really make the trailer pop!  

Done with the outside but not done! The inside will be a smaller area and doesn't have as many components but I think a break will be good for a bit though once I get the trailer back in working order and all the parts and pieces in place.

Serene Sunday

It was going to be a horsie July 4th but with lightning and heavy rain we ended up just having the BBQ at KCRC, no pony fun games.  I was a bit bummed but was happy to catch up with members I haven't seen in a while.  I've been out of town for work for the past few meetings!!

For serene sunday I figured we'd visit little Stubs.  She's the cutest thing ever and constantly makes a little trilling meow sound when she wants you for something.  She also has racing stripes which makes sense since she often races around the house with toys or Armani.  Love my kitties!

Rusty is Getting Purdy!!!

This past weekend was gorgeous.  No rain in the forecast.  It was a great time to work on the trailer and happily I can announce that my Rusty trailer now has two coats of paint over the primer.

The trailer is looking good!  It was a long Saturday and then Sunday morning but aside from touch-ups where the doors close there is no more painting to be done....except the inside of the trailer, sigh.

Lots of bugs died in the making of this trailer though.  It seems they are attracted to wet paint and then the poor things are plastered into it.  I tried to remove them as I saw them and tried to get it so hopefully they would survive but some bugs were just covered in paint.

Now will come the fun part of putting the new lights on, caulking seams, placing reflective tape and adding other nifty trailer accessories to make this a convenient trailer and to make it last a long time.

I will continue to post as I do tape, drip rails and gravel guards and then off course I'll start working in the tack room in a bit.  I'm so glad this exterior is almost complete!!!