The Shitty Side of Things

We hired out a  project at the end of last year in order to get rid of our falling apart pallet manure bins.  We hired a crew to make us a nice monstrosity of a poo bin out of concrete.  It's three bins that are wide enough (ugh, will get into that later) to accommodate my front loader. My desire for the concrete was so I didn't keep gouging the clay bottom of the bins like I did with the pallet system and so I could have something that would last longer. We also wanted to come up with a lid system to keep the rain off the manure because that shit gets heavy when it's wet!

When it rains and it rains a lot here, the manure gets so bogged down with water that I can't use my manure spreader.  I've gotten around that issue by taking big scoops in the tractor and trying to drop little piles of manure throughout the fields and then later go over it all with a harrow to spread it into fine particles that will feed the grass versus smother the grass.  It works decently at least.  I would just prefer to use my mini manure spreader and get the job done in one step and consistently spread; you know, and use the piece of equipment I paid money for!  

I transferred all the manure still in one of the pallet bins to the concrete bin once it was able to receive the manure. We didn't have lids on yet so the manure still became water logged and I had to spread using my front loader and harrow system but at least scooping the manure from the bins is much easier with concrete bins.

Initially I was having major issues with getting the front loader into the bins without hitting the sides, each bin is smaller than anticipated due to during construction the supports bowing inwards so I have very little wiggle room for the front loader.  The first bin is the most narrow and my husband still plans to go in with a tool to cut out some of those bows and make it more user friendly.  The other two bins work well now and I certainly have become more precise in my operation.  I have a solid base of gravel that had evened out the surface leading up to the bins since one tiny bump or dip in the soil made the tractor lean just enough that the tilt left or right was magnified at the front loader end of things.  It's still a tighter fit than I prefer but it works and Steve can get the bins adjusted as we go.

We now have lids on all three bins and I've noticed that when I transferred the manure from bin 2 to bin 3 that it was a normal poo moisture content, it will hopefully be good for using our spreader again and not bind up the mechanism like our saturated peanut butter poo of the past. I'm all for making some of this "farm work" easier.  It's just amazing how much manure comes from two equines.  I luckily can spread it on my 3.77 acres and reuse the nutrients for the soil but I'm curious what others do to manage manure.  I've been at places that just pile it up in a huge dung heap or others that have it loaded off by I guess companies that then compost it?  What do you all do with your horse manure?

Newer Spreader

I'm very excited about a "present" the hubby got us.  A Newer Spreader.  It's a little manure spreader and we love it!  We do think it's overpriced but haven't found a better alternative or a DIY.  We bit the bullet and are actually quite pleased.  Composted manure can't go through most spreaders like that hefty seed spreader I was hoping would work; you need a manure spreader.  This is perfect, I can fill it up with my composted manure or fresh if I want and then spread it over the fields.

We no longer use a wheel barrow to pick the fields instead we use a harrow (here's an example) that breaks up the poop and lets it decompose into the soil.  This is just an added tool for that spreading of nutrients into the field concept.  In the winter the horses seen to mainly poop in the wormhole and thus we can't use the harrow so we have to pick that up and place it in piles

This will be great as we take several large piles of composted manure and spread it over the fields along with seed and lime.  We have a lot to do to rejuvenate the pastures and get them less weedy but that is another post.  The intent was to do that this fall but I just didn't have the time to do that spreading by hand.  It's so helpful having the tools we need finally!!  More tools means a faster job and thus more time with the ponies!!!

Apple Picking Season!!

Yeah, not that kind of apple.....  :-(

The horses are now going to be kept in the Wormhole and The Shire for the winter while we work on the rejuvenating other two pastures (post to follow).  Since we cannot rotate pastures because of that nor let manure dry out for a couple weeks after being harrowed (dragged) we have to resort to picking the field again to prevent parasite issues in our ponies.

This means we get to pick the field every week!  We've gone a couple weeks without doing such and it took us a while to get The Shire cleaned up today.  It was a gorgeous breezy fall day so I can't complain.  We need to do a final mow too so it will be easier to rake the piles and spot treat any weeds until we can let this pasture rest and reseed next spring.  

Unfortunately our apple trees are still too little to get edible apples so we must be satisfied with pony apples. We are going in two weeks to get four more apple trees and a couple pear trees!  Can't wait to have our little orchard fully mature!!  I'm sure the ponies will benefit from it as well!

It's been a few nice weeks of fall-ish weather here in NC, some hotter than others and many trees are starting to change. We luckily avoided the flooding and other issues further south and east of us. The grass is becoming dormant despite the rains and I'm switching to hay...which means I am now able to get back into the feed room.  Two weeks ago the hay was right up to the door so the ponies had the task of eating our way back into the feed room.

It seems our house and property are unending with projects.  We have discovered mushrooms in our house windowsills so we need to replace our wooden windows, NOW.  The same company is going to put gutters on the barn so we will finally get working on our drainage project.  The shed still needs to be finished too.  We are in it for the long haul so it's good to get all this work done now and we can enjoy it sooner.  Being this is the second house we've owned with wooden and difficult windows to open I'm really excited about vinyl energy saving windows!!!  The ponies are happy and healthy and don't seem to care about any changes we make to our house or property. Fall is a busy time (like summer wasn't?)

I am happy with the weather being much more tolerable for outdoor work, fall has always been my favorite season.  Next summer I will have to just bite the bullet and arise early to avoid riding or working in the heat of midday. Even though I wish I had more time for the ponies I love having a property where they can be in my backyard and I can love on them whenever I desire.  Nickers in the morning is the best way to start my day!

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!

Serene Sunday

I really think I missed an opportunity here, should have done the duck face selfie...

How to Organize Your Shit

Horses poop, like, A LOT!  At KCRC I just carted my manure to the big pile there and eventually they turned it or carted it off after some time.  Here I have to figure out what to do with all this stuff.  I've only been here two months with one horse and now two but I have still gathered a decent sized pile that we are going to compost.

Composting is great but can be labor intensive when you don't have a tractor with a bucket (eh, hem, yeah we don't have that).  So.....yipee!  Exercise!!  Composting decomposes the material to a nice rich and more usable form for plants.  It has to be done correctly though or you don't get all the benefits you could from this black gold.  The pile has to heat up in order to kill weed seeds and to kill off parasites.  Steve and I composted leaves and grass in the Winston house, rarely turned it but in the end had some dark rich soil with which to amend our yard.  

For the horse's "by-products" I've built three, soon to be four "bins" from pallets and "U" posts.  It was pretty simple to put together, just tap the posts in between the wood pieces and place the next pallet at a 90 degree angle....tap that one in and boom, compost bin.  When the bin starts getting full we'll add a "front" to each bin using a wooden lattice and some more posts to hold that in place.  The plan is to completely fill one up then water it, cover it, turn it a few times and within a couple months sift and spread on our property. While that first pile is heating up and turning into rich compost you start dumping your manure in the next bin until it is full (repeat process). The whole idea is that once all three are full (or better yet even before then) the first bin will be completely composted and ready to use.   

Many horse owners muck manure directly into a manure spreader and spread it on the pasture during a warmer dry period.  This kills parasites and the smaller pieces will still eventually fertilize the soil.  It works best on larger properties it seems. I think with our property being so small composting is a better way to go and definitely less high tech (aka not needing fancy equipment).  We'll still need a spreader but we can use a simple fertilizer spreader vs. a manure spreader.  These are smaller and less expensive.

The bins were easy to set up and I've already seen the manure start to break down in the first one.  We even saw some steam coming from the pile before we tarped it to keep the heat in and the moisture level damp but not soaking.  One does not want pouring rain to percolate through the pile and cause the run off to enter streams or ponds.  We are doing our best to have our horse care be environmentally friendly.

Our large pile of poo that was growing into a large blop, not unlike "Slimer" the famous gross ghost from Ghostbusters, is now neatly organized and becoming something pretty darn awesome.  Yes, I'm excited about horse poop.  I collect the manure from the stable area daily and then weekly from fields the horses have been grazing.  Not an apple is wasted!  But man, this fescue with its rhizomes make forking poo difficult.....I'll be posting on that soon too.  LOL.  

So there you have it.  Simple compost bins made from pallets, what a way to organize your shit!

Frosty whiskers

It's been miserable cold lately.  Dani's been blanketed up but her poor stall is an ice skating rink of frozen yuck!  Each day I've come out and let her run about in the fresh snow.  I take off her blanket and she rolls in a big fluffy pile.

I have noticed that I haven't needed to turn the light on as early so I may soon be able to get short little rides in after work.  We'll see.  I still need enough time.  I don't get to the barn until about 4:30pm, so even with the days getting longer I need just a bit more time to make grooming, and tacking worth a short ride.  Plus with this ice everywhere I'm not too keen on riding and potentially have my mare slip.  She's pretty sure footed but still, not a risk taker am I!

While snapping some photos with the Droid, the only camera I have with me at the barn.  Dani kept yawning and so I snapped this shot.  Blurry but funny.  Her mouth looks like Donkey from Shrek!!!

I'm ready for some warm weather for a couple days.  I want to try and get the sand drained and dried out by spreading the wetter areas out some.  All the manure that has been frozen to the ground that I couldn't kick free (seriously needed a pick-axe for some of these piles!) will be cleaned up.  It's so disgusting!!!  Hopefully with our heat wave I'll get a little ride in too!  Yeah for 30-40 degree weather!  Can't wait for tomorrow!

New Pony Friends!!!

Finally Dani has some friends right next to her!  All the other stalls were filled with ponies.  Apparently this is only temporary until the owner buys a new place.  I think they are Paso Finos.  This gal has done some EXCA on some of these guys.  They are very tiny looking, a couple look like yearlings or two-year-olds.

Dani likes having someone to pin her ears back at!

Today as I worked in the stall with my metal fork trying to free the frozen manure piles from the ground the little guys were watching with curiosity.  Some of them spooked when I moved the tarp.  Others weren't so sure as I flapped the blanket about changing out Dani's layers for something warmer.  It's gonna get pretty far below zero this evening!

It will be fun to have these neighbors and hopefully I'll see their owner some.  I see David every once in a while.  It's so cold that we both just come to feed and muck.  Today I was very happy to see him because I couldn't get out of the grounds.  A plow had built a wall of snow at the exit of the grounds and there was no way my little Honda civic was gonna get through.  I grabbed my trunk shovel but it was somehow broken and the actual shovel part spun so I could barely scoop the snow.  Of course my shovel breaks when I actually need it!!  What's the point of being prepared if things break when you need them?

David ran his truck back and forth over the snow mound to flatten it and just then the plow came back and took pity on me.  They opened a nice path, considering they were the ones who'd blocked me in it was decent of them....and honestly should be expected.  I pulled on through and waved a thank you to David.  His daughter in the car was looking at me like I was a lunatic....teenagers!  LOL.  

I'm ready for our 30 degree heat wave we should be getting this weekend!  Hope you and yours stay warm!

Snow, Fuzz and Poop

Now that's a title!!  LOL.  We are in for another freezing week.  There was a small respite on Sunday with nice weather but the ground was covered in snow and I wasn't comfortable with riding in it.  Some are braver than I!  Today was a good day to rearrange my tack area.  My SmartPaks contain broke, therefore I'd purchased a set of plastic drawers (yippee, more space for stuff!).  The top drawer will have my SmartPaks.  It was also "warm" enough to spot clean Dani's blanket.  She had poop smears and mud smears in various places.  SO I scrubbed with just water and hosed off those spots.  

The sun was warm enough to dry it within a very short time considering the temperature.  The sun was also doing a number on the snowy roof.  When clumps with icicles fell off the back side they scrapped against the metal siding.  It freaked me out a couple times will mucking and sweeping in the stall.  Later when I brought Dani in for a quick groom, hoof picking and blanketing that same freaky sound startled us both.  She jumped and then looked at me all panicky.  I'd jumped too but immediately stroked her and calmed her down.  Not that she was that scared.  Her spooks so far have been "jump to a stop and stare".

Now onto another random topic, hair.  It's early February and yes, Dani is beginning to shed her long fuzzies.  February, March and some of April tend to be the snowy months in Colorado.  Guess that's why I have a good Rambo blanket with many layering options.  After grooming her the chestnut fuzz covered me.  It was warm enough out I didn't wear my Carhartt so instead used a light shell.  Oh well, it needed to be laundered anyways!

Dani's mane is doing the same thing it did last year, she's getting the short little mane hairs on her off side.  Last year they grew and eventually flipped to her near side.  It's interesting.  I know she looses hairs and continuously grows more just like any other mammal, including us.  It's just odd that a large section grows out like this.  Hmm...she has a nice thick mane that I love so the more hairs the merrier right?  Guess I'll have to keep that upbeat attitude as shedding season comes into full swing.

The Snow Melt-eth

Ponies love the snow!  Dani likes to roll, and roll in snow.  I don't think it matters what she rolls in, as long as it's soft.  My girl loves to dig through the snow for bits of grass.  She also loves to find scraps of hay bits left near other boarders pen.  As long as she is not eating their hay I don't chase her off; though one day she was eating David's hay and I had a heck of a time getting her away.  I made sure the tarp was good and secure.  What a pest!  She gets her whiskers all covered in flakes from digging in the snow, it's so cute.  I can only seem to get a picture with her head up if I have her haltered.  Otherwise....dig, dig, dig in that snow.

Things are starting to warm up now!  It was 35 today!  I went to the barn early in the morning to de-robe my girl and let her roll in the arena.  Horses much prefer being naked to wearing a blanket.  At least Dani has a nice comfy blanket so when she has to wear one it's tolerable (thank you hubby!)

Humans tend not to like the cold either.  I'm cold natured; I'd rather have cooler temperatures but below 30 degrees even I think it's a bit chilly. This subzero stuff was pretty miserable.

The next few days should be warmer still and here's hoping that the arena melts and it's ride worthy weather on Saturday!  I will want to do some groundwork first before we do under saddle work.  The last time I rode was short and sweet but feels like ages ago!  We trotted and had fun and worked on opening a gate from the saddle (coordination I lack and then throwing a pony in the mix makes it even more challenging)  We did alright though but lets just say I would have let out the entire herd of cattle!

Then my silly little mare and I went through the noodles....first time under saddle!  Sweet!  No issues!  I see some people barrel through those things at the trot or canter but the ones at KCRC have hard metal washers holding them on, that would hurt!  I think a good ol' walk is fine unless there is another curtain made of all soft material to work with.  I'm very happy that she didn't have an issue "going alone".

So what are the big plans for this coming balmy weather??  Well, a good thorough grooming/scratching of Dani and file work on her hooves.  I'll round the hooves, trim some of the frog flaps I've noticed and apply some hoof oil.  Then of course riding, some groundwork and major pen cleaning.  I want to get as many small bits of manure I may have missed with everything turning frozen solid the past week; jackhammer should be on my Christmas Horse Needs Wishlist.  Then I want to check the water tank.  It's pretty good, just topped it off.  I did a good clean before the winter weather hit so I may just need to do a bit of straining and siphoning.  Exciting huh?  I'd rather be at the barn doing work than cleaning my house!  

Hope you all are staying warm.  I know that cold front was moving across the U.S. to the east so....um....sorry bout that!  You'll survive!!

Cold and colder

It's been darn cold in Colorado!  Negative 12 at night, single digits during the day.  Usually Colorado has pretty mild winters in my opinion.  We'll get cold spells and snow but then plenty of days in the 30-40's...even in the 50's!  I've had to drive into work on the slick icy roads while friends that work in schools have had several snow days....Grrr!

Dani doesn't mind the snow so much.  I think I the blanket has been good because of the wind and the sudden drop in temperatures.  David has been blanketing his mares but other horses at KCRC aren't blanketed.  I wonder if I'm just over protective.....  She hasn't been sweating under the blanket so that's fine.  With her blanket and under blanket she has about 400 grams of warmth.  That's the Rambo Duo.  I'm getting a new under layer soon, one that is only 100 grams so I can blanket her at 100, 200 or 400.  I don't think I'll need anything else....those blanket weights will cover us for most temperatures.  

I've only blanketed Dani one other time this year so far, it was right before Thanksgiving I think.  Snowy and windy....I would have liked to have used a lighter weight but didn't have the 100 under blanket yet.  She's been doing great though.  Much more fuzzy than she was last year.  I'm letting her fetlocks grow out of course, she gets little feathers in the winter.

I haven't been able to ride or work her much since I don't feel it's safe with the ground as it is.  While cleaning and feeding I've let her out for some turn out.  She's had some naked time too so she can roll in the snow some and I can check her blanket isn't rubbing.  Thank goodness static guard doesn't freeze.  I was going to spray a light mist of the coat conditioner on her and the inside of her blanket to reduce the static but that was frozen solid!!

Winter always has it's challenges.  The frozen manure or poopsicles are harder to find in the ground and harder to get up.  Urination freezes and can make clumps too so sometimes I feel like what I toss in the wheel barrow isn't necessarily what I really mean to throw away.  I do the best I can to get the hard, round poop balls out of her pen so my lady doesn't twist her ankle.  So I don't twist mine for that matter!

My water heater and filter is working well and keeping the ice off the water.  I've been adding salt to her supplements to make sure she drinks enough water.  Seems to be doing her good as her water level is going down like it usually does each day, perhaps a little less.

It's supposed to warm up later this week.  I'm so looking forward to that and I'm sure Dani will love having the blanket off for a while.  I'm definitely missing the indoor arena now but who knows.  I may have still been a wuss and not ridden even with access to the inside riding area.  At least the days will start getting longer here in a bit, December 21st!!  I want to get back in the saddle and work on more trotting.  I've been having so much fun!  Last time was right after Thanksgiving I think...feels so long ago.  Snow makes time pass slower, I truly believe that!

Veteran's Day Parade 2013

First I would like to start this post with a solemn than you.

Thank you Veterans for your sacrifice and service.  Our country is made stronger by you.  You deserve more honors than we can bestow upon you.

And though this is more for Memorial Day, my thoughts always go to a high school friend 

Sgt. Scott Kirkpatrick 

who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country to uphold  our American ideals.

Now onto our parade!  I joined the KCRC group on Saturday November 9th for the Colorado Springs Veteran's Day parade.  There were 96 entrants and KCRC was dead last.  So we did lots of waiting.  We arrived early downtown.  We had about 9 riders I think and then Loren and Julie's wagon pulled by the beautiful buckskin Angel.

I was signed up with Ann as a pooper scooper.  In Monument Marie and I pushed a wheel barrow for the manure.  In this parade....we had an ATV!!!  Ann didn't want to drive it so I drove and she sat "side saddle" in order to jump off during the parade for clean up.  Since I didn't have a horse to get ready I took pictures and helped Loren untangle the fringe on his horse wagon.

We gathered up and walked to the start of the parade and waited on a side street.  We waited, and waited and waited.  Horses pooped, Ann or I ran to clean up the pile.  Our bucket was beginning to fill and we hadn't even started the parade yet!  Angel was loving on her momma while we waited in the shade.  Below she was trying to find a cookie that Julie just ate and Julie was saying "All gone!"  The horses were a bit impatient just standing around so many of the riders walked them up and down the road.  

We headed over to where the parade was passing by....not the official start but at least we could listen to the bands and see the motorcycle groups (wow there are so many!) drive by.  The noise was loud and echoed downtown.  The horses were great!  Some were a bit irritated or scared but nothing major.  One of the club members mentioned he doesn't bring his guy to the larger down town parades.  His horse was freaked out by cars chasing him and revving their engines....so freaked out he backed up through the crowd.  I can understand why he's not a fan of the larger parades.

I knew Dani would be freaking at the really loud sounds from the parade.  She'd need a lot of work with desensitizing!  There are parade sound CD's you can buy and lots of other exercises you can do to get your horse calmer and prepared for parades.  The smaller town parades are where we'll start I think!  For now I'm fine with being the pooper scooper.  I'll eventually get Loki in the parade with a dog cart to haul the poop...perhaps over my Christmas vacation I'll work on that project!

The parade finally started for us...or I guess more accurately, finally finished with us.  Ross and  Laurie lead our group with our banner.  Then Angel followed with a bunch of members in the carriage.  Flags for all four branches of the Military were displayed, the American flag, Colorado flag, and our club flag.  It was a great turn out!  Of course I had the rear view as you can see above!

Below are photos from a parade watcher, thanks Robin!

Too Little Water....Too Much Water

We started the year in a severe drought with water restrictions.  Our reservoirs were low and creek beds dry.  Forests were a tinderbox and 2013 set new records for fires, records that had been set the previous year!

Black Forest Fire was close to home, Dani's home and I moved her out east so I could concentrate on my Emergency Preparedness job for public health.  It was a long and busy summer.

Then we hit monsoon season and began getting more rain in the afternoons.  This was a blessing at first since we needed the rain.  My yard greened up and the prairie was alive again.  The two burn scars had issues with flooding, Manitou springs was hit hard a couple times and the EOC was activated.  Public health helped set up a disaster assistance center and provided free tetanus shots to those that would be working in the debris.

This last bit of storms coming from the hurricanes east and west of us has brought nearly a week of constant rain.  There have been roads washed out, houses destroyed and even colleagues sheltering in place as the creek near their house prevented them from coming to work.  Dani's home has been saturated and I've worked to dig little trenches to drain some of the water.  Daily hoof picking and then prevention of thrush is about all I can do until it started to dry out.  Then I can sift the sand for all the bits of manure that I couldn't get in the sopping wetness.

Dani likes to hang her head just outside the cover of the shed and from halfway up her neck to her face she is always damp.  What a weird horse.

El Paso County has not had it as bad as north of Denver...Boulder, Fort Follins, Lyons, Longmont, Greeley, and Fort Lupton....to name just a few communities affected.  The devastation is wide spread, our partners up the road are busy, busy coordinating the relief efforts.  As we were on standby I couldn't do anything to help.

I wanted to help those horses I saw on the news but I don't have a trailer nor the ability to take off work.  I donated to the Colorado Horsecare Foodbank since they are setting up at Fort Lupton to distribute hay to horse and livestock owners.  If you can afford it please donate.  This helps them pay for gas, buy hay and distribute it to those in need.  

It's just unreal what our state has gone through in the past couple years.  I'm sure Obama is getting tired of declaring Colorado a national disaster!  I hope everyone reading this is safe and well, take care everyone!