Projects, Slobber and Pastures

We've been very busy with mowing of course and random projects.  We still need to finish the run-in shed, and some fencing projects but honestly with the stifling heat we've had this summer it was hard to want to go outside.  Thankfully it is starting to cool down a bit and fall will start to set in giving us some crisp days to enjoy.  We already are feeling some nice crisp days.  Luckily the Hurricane didn't cause us too much rain or flooding in our area, that's more southeast of us.

The horses have been doing well and recently we passed our 1 year anniversary of living here in NC!  I love going out and watching my beauties grazing in the fields or going over for a quick kiss.  The nickers and whinnies of happiness when it's feeding time is always a welcome sound.  I love watching Chance's Arabian flag tail fly up as he trots in from a field.

I think this summer was a little overwelming for us, all the work that goes into owning more land and maintaining it for horses is a lot.  It's even more when you don't have the right equipment to accomplish the tasks!  We are slowly getting the equipment we need with a big purchase of a tractor in the plans for next spring.

Our manure bins are overflowing and having grasses growing in from the sides of the pallets.  We will be creating a better set up in the next year that will be more easily rotated since we'll also have a tractor!  In the meantime though I have a small spreader that I purchased for lime and seed and will hopefully be able to make it work for dry composted manure.  I'm not willing to pay $1,000 for a manure spreader at this time!

One project we'll be working on starting this weekend is pasture rejuvenation.  Two of our pastures have a decent amount of clovers growing in them.  We have a couple different species and apparently they are infected with the fungus Rhizoctonia leguminicola, from what I've read it appears in humid regions and will often induce heavy slobbering in horses.  My horses seem to really enjoy the sweet taste of the clover and then I get to enjoy buckets full of slobber and dodging splashes as I greet my horses in the stable yard.  

On really hot days Dani and Chance hang out at the barn to keep cool by the fan.  There they stand the drool.  Dani will have puddles in her stall that my husband often mistakes for urine on the ground.  She will fill up her feed bin with several cups of drool as well.  It's so disgusting that I often can't help but retch when dumping it.  I can't stand saliva in such quantities.  At least they drink well and there is no harm eating the clover but I want that plant gone!