Archive for October 2013
Featuring Dezirea
As we have watched the horses going through the process of acclimating to their new home, we have witnessed a variety of interactions among the four. Out of all of them, Dezirea (pronounced dez-a-ray), has been the more skittish one. I’ve seen Hunter totally dominate her one day, and then I’ve seen her stand up for herself the day after. Lately, she can usually be found grazing in Legacy’s vicinity.
When the horses are moving into a paddock, or coming up for grain, she is usually the most timid about committing to the goal. As a result, she usually comes in last at whatever they are doing, but not always. She will occasionally pin her ears back and assert herself to the others, which seems to keep the triad of the chestnuts busy in their ongoing merry-go-round of testing who is in charge between them.
I watched her for a long time the other morning, when the herd was grazing in the middle of the big field. She seemed to have reached satisfaction with the amount she had eaten, and stood with her head up, while the others continued to munch away at the grass. Eventually, it appeared that she was resigning herself to a well-deserved mid-morning nap in the warm sunlight.
Dezirea has the most markings of the three chestnuts. She has a blaze on her face, a stocking on her left front leg, and an anklet (half pastern) on her right front leg. She is the only one of the herd who hasn’t been ridden, as her primary duties were as a brood mare.
I wouldn’t be surprised if, when things settle down once and for all for the herd here, Dezirea asserts herself in a role of matriarch, sharing some of the leadership with Legacy. She certainly has my respect for putting up with all the crap the other two have been dishing out since they arrived.
Tough Decision
We are approaching the first anniversary of our time on this property that we have named Wintervale Ranch, and many milestones have been achieved since last year, most significantly, the arrival of the four horses. With the completion of one phase comes the opening of another, and so now we set our sights on the next areas of immediate need.
Cyndie wants to put some sand or gravel over the topsoil in our paddocks, to keep them from becoming a dangerous muddy mess. I am wary of the scope such a goal would entail. That would take a lot of truckloads of fill. I would like to try redirecting runoff, first, to see how much difference we can make, and hopefully minimize the areas that would still require cover. In addition to the creation of drainage ditches to reduce water entering the paddocks, we are looking into gutters for the barn.
On the subject of fill, another load was just delivered on Monday, to finish the driveway loop when the culvert was replaced. That accomplishment came with a cost. Our poor asphalt driveway suffered another blow, because the ground was still soft from the rain we had recently received.
Right now, the driveway is our weak point. We don’t have a plan on how to deal with it, so we have just let it go, and of course, it just gets worse. Trying to plow it in the winter is going to be a real hassle. The expense of repairing it is daunting, and is the real reason we have done nothing. Our limited funds are being consumed by other commitments.
It was a very tough decision to make, when we chose not to accept any of the bids we received for asphalt maintenance. The long paved driveway was one of the special features of this place. I’m not sure we’ll have the patience to live through the process of letting it just disintegrate and become a (much more common around here) gravel driveway, which is the most affordable option.
I’d love to have a humble two-tire-track path with grass in the middle, but I think we are well past that, at this point.
For the time being, we are putting our focus toward other areas, and will try to make it through the winter without having paid for repairs. We’ll probably get it re-quoted in the spring, and replace just the sections experiencing the worst damage.
The destruction of the driveway that has been caused by our other projects is one of the more frustrating things we have faced in the last year. Luckily, the improvements have turned out so well, they make up for the angst caused by the compromised pavement.
Change Happening
Last weekend, I took some pictures of the trees and their colorful leaves around here. I love the look of that period where the change is just beginning on the outer edges of the crown of a tree. Overnight, things changed such that we can now see into the woods surrounding the house. All the things that grow near the ground along the edges of our forested areas just shriveled up.
We’ve been experiencing some strong gusts of wind throughout the night and yesterday afternoon, which tends to free a lot of the leaves from trees. It is difficult to determine peak colors, but if we are not there right now, I think we are darn close. There are some big oaks that hold their green a long time, but other than those, everything now appears to be in transition.
Not Proud
Out of respect for the whole truth, I must report that it isn’t always sunshine-happy-roses here at Wintervale, despite all my blissful stories. Yesterday afternoon, Cyndie got out of her car after work, hobbling on a sprained ankle. She reported that it happened as she was squeezing out time before work that she didn’t really have, trying to walk Delilah one last time before leaving. Delilah ran off with gusto, pulling Cyndie off-balance.
With me trying to help out, doing more of the walking chores, we headed down to the barn to invite the horses into the paddock for their evening grain. I don’t know where he had been rolling, but Hunter arrived with dirt covering him, head to hoof. He was an absolute mess. Regardless the hindrance of her painful sprain, Cyndie wanted to try to clean him up. She worked her way into the paddock, with brushes and cleaning supplies.
He wasn’t interested.
She turned to Legacy, who had a fair amount of dirt on his back, giving him the option of being groomed. He didn’t seem to want to hang around, either. As we stood at the gate, after exiting, Legacy appeared to want to give us one last message. He presented his backside and lifted his tail. Message received.
We left the sorry-looking geldings to strut their muddy body art.
I dropped Cyndie off at the house and headed around back to retrieve Delilah from her kennel. Yes, she is still behaving like a puppy, despite our impression that she should be beyond portions of it now. For the second time in three days, she has ripped and de-stuffed articles of bedding. I found her insulated blanket torn open and puffs of white stuffing spread all over the place. It is so frustrating, especially when she presents such an obvious look pride for her “accomplishment.”
On Saturday, Delilah was confined to her crate in the house, while we entertained guests. She made quick work of the bed Cyndie had tossed in there while cleaning. Ever so quietly, Delilah pulled the green stuffing out of it to surround herself, before lying down to nap.
Shortly after coming inside with Delilah yesterday, as I brought a cold pack for Cyndie’s ankle, while she propped her foot up in the living room, I stepped in a pile of poop Delilah had covertly dropped on the rug the day before. That afternoon was when Elysa was over, and both she and I smelled something, but weren’t wily enough to follow our noses to the source. Discovery was delayed for 24 hours.
Maybe we can blame Delilah for all the flies in the house. There has been an epic population explosion of flies around here this summer, and now that we have an unending supply of manure, the flies are thicker than ever. With Cyndie on the couch, pointing them out, I swatted at flies in a fruitless effort to curb the infestation.
This was not one of our proudest days.
Loosely Planned
Our Sunday was rather loosely planned, and ultimately, I wavered away from focusing on our priority of creating drainage channels around the paddocks. I did start the day on that project, but after cutting through sod outside the end of the small paddock, nearest the hay shed, I decided to wait until the work to replace our culvert gets done.
Did I mention the culvert here yet? We need to provide a way for water to drain beyond our new driveway loop, and a plastic culvert was buried beneath the gravel. Shortly after it was installed, I discovered it had collapsed and cracked open, filling with dirt. The contractor is switching to a metal culvert.
When that gets completed, I will feel more motivated to attempt to construct a final version of drainage waterway between the gravel of the driveway loop, and the first paddock.
Around the time I decided to take a break from the drainage ditch, our daughter, Elysa, arrived. After a little lunch, Cyndie wanted to take advantage of the extra hand, and Elysa’s knowledge and skill with horses, to take pairs of horses for another walk around our property. I claimed the role of gate handler.
Our little herd of four are quite the unit, and the two horses that get left behind during walks make a big fuss. After closing the gate, I hang around to offer calm confidence to the anxious horses. It is little consolation to them, and they fidget and call out until the horses out walking finally emerge into view again.
It was while we were completing this little exercise that my project shifted. I had been standing next to the round pen, and could see it deserved some attention, to continue working on getting it level. At the same time, Cyndie decided to pick up sticks, branches, and roots in that area, and also to rake up some of the dead grass piled from our previous cuttings, to use as a ground cover in some of the muddiest spots in the paddocks.
Elysa agreed to pitch in and help and we enjoyed some wonderful time together, laboring away. In no time at all, the afternoon disappeared on us and it became time to feed the horses. It is so wonderful to have an extra person available for these tasks, especially one who knows horses.
As I puttered with moving wheelbarrows through gates, and picking up rakes and pitch forks, I watched the actions of Cyndie and Elysa in the small paddock with all four horses. Cyndie realized she hadn’t finished picking up the manure in that paddock, so I brought two tools for the job, enabling them to double up on the task. A few minutes later, the horses came over for some attention, and Elysa dropped her scooper and obliged the group. She is smart about priorities.
I saw Legacy grip the handle of her scooper and pick it up. They reported that he was being mischievous with all their stuff. He certainly doesn’t hesitate to check things out.
We had a wonderful day of tending to whatever captured our attention, and it was a big bonus to be able to share it with our daughter. That can be a benefit that results from a day that is loosely planned.
Rain, Rain
The weather here has taken a turn for the wettest again. In the last 3-days, we have had over 3.5 inches of rainfall. After being so dry during the second half of the 2013 growing season that our hay-field couldn’t produce enough growth to justify a second cutting, we now have plenty of water at the time when the things that grow are in transition toward dormancy to survive the harshness that winter will bring.
We knew we would be facing some challenges in the paddocks during wet periods, especially during the springtime, but we decided to just get the horses here and deal with it as it comes. The horses have quickly been able to show us what we are facing. Managing this is now our next priority.
My long-term vision was to carve drainage paths to direct water to flow around the paddocks and toward a main ditch that will direct water to the edge of our property where there is already a waterway in place. The immediate need to address this has led me to quickly try a test of the drainage grade to see if the water will flow. In two different spots around the paddocks, I have been pleasantly surprised, and am optimistic that my idea can work.
It will take some time, and repeated attempts, to create drainage paths that are durable and stable. Ideally, there will be grass growing in them, and it will take a while for that to occur. In the near-term, just getting channels created will greatly reduce the amount of water that makes it into the paddock in the first place.
We will probably still need to add some gravel to our paddocks, and even though we were told we can’t put gutters on this barn, we will be investigating a way to do that.
In every project we consider here, we tend to solicit as much advice as we can. I am always amazed at how often the responses we receive are at odds with each other, often completely opposite with regard to what is, or isn’t, possible.
Luckily, Cyndie likes to dwell in possibility, and I am learning to trust my gut instincts. Eventually, we come to solutions that work… rain, or shine.
It Happens
It takes some serious skill to land it on the narrow board of a fence.
We’ve already harvested our first crop of fertilizer. The production crew never seems to take a break, so harvesting is an ongoing process. Looks like we are getting a pretty high yield. We decided to expand our processing equipment, adding a two-wheeled wheelbarrow with an 8 cubic foot capacity to our fleet.
Who needs corn? We got poo.
Featuring Cayenne
To my admittedly untrained eyes, of the four horses, Dezirea appears as the least sure about the new environment, but Cayenne has been the more difficult one for me to connect with thus far. We have interacted a few times, but more often than not, when I come around, there is something more interesting to her in another direction. Maybe she is playing hard to get. More likely, her behavior is directed by the interactions with Hunter and Dezirea, as they continue to work out the pecking order in their new location.
Each horse is definitely special in their own unique way, but Cayenne strikes me as having something exceptional simmering within her that has yet to fully blossom. She is a daughter of Dezirea, but has already outgrown her mother.
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Several times, I have spotted the herd split into two, and thus far it has always been as two mare/gelding pairs. However, they haven’t always been in the same pair. I was told that Cayenne and Hunter grew up together, so they certainly are familiar with each other, but I think it is nice that they aren’t an inseparable pair. She seems equally comfortable meandering with Legacy to graze.
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I caught this funny shot of Cayenne picking her head up high over a gate when Cyndie’s parents came out to meet them for the first time. It shows that Cayenne is not so vain as to avoid allowing herself to get caught looking silly on occasion.
Hmm. She reminds me a bit of myself in that way. No wonder I sense something exceptional in her!
New Me
I spent most of my life in the carefree world of not needing to take care of a pet. Yesterday afternoon, as I fed four horses, then our dog, and finally, two cats, it occurred to me how much things have changed. Luckily, it seems to fit rather seamlessly into the days here, especially compared to my old life during the years we lived in our previous home. I didn’t want that kind of commitment back then, but it is proving to be a natural extension of our new routine.
The part that doesn’t fit anymore is my sitting in front of a television watching sporting events, or any program, for that matter. Lately, it has also meant not playing my guitar or mandolin, or doing much in the way of bicycling, but I hope to reclaim some of that time in the days to come. Our days are now filled with managing operations on our 20 acre ranch of fields and woods.
I miss being able to play soccer in the mornings with my friends, but I am reaping the rewards of all those years of that brilliant exercise, transferring the stamina, strength, and breathing capacity I acquired into the physical work done around our property.
The new routine appears to be burning more calories than I am consuming, so I am actually in better shape now than I have been in years. I’m hoping I will notice the difference when biking, in that I won’t be hauling as much weight up the hills.
Last night, as I moved the horses into the paddock from the open field, I had an opportunity to put into practice something that I learned from Cyndie and our friend, Dunia, at the Epona seminar they led in Arizona. The horses were loitering just outside the open gate as I arrived to encourage them to come in. Legacy, the leader, acknowledged my arrival, but made no motion to enter. If he doesn’t come in, the others won’t either.
I knew I was talking to the right guy, but he wasn’t buying what I was selling. Conventional wisdom would be to use a treat or bucket of grain to entice him to approach, but I learned another method to inspire a horse to follow me. I walked an arc in front of Legacy, back and forth, increasing my energy as I went. If you walk far enough around the horse, they will be inclined to move a hoof in a step to keep you in view. That step is the one I was looking for, because if you play that first step properly, it will lead to another, and then off I went, walking into the paddock up to the grain I had set out for them, and Legacy followed me all the way up.
On Sunday, I put into practice another essential lesson I learned at the Epona seminar in Arizona. When you approach a horse, the horse gets to set the boundary. When the horse approaches you, you get to set the boundary. When I unexpectedly found myself facing four horses running right toward me in the open field, standing with nothing but my camera in my hands, I remembered what Dunia, Cyndie, and the other leaders taught about setting my boundary.
I motioned with my hand to display an arc of my boundary in front of my body. Legacy, leading the group charge, suddenly came to a halt, just short of that virtual line I was projecting.
The person standing on that hill with those four powerful animals was not the guy I remember from a year ago. That is the new me, tending our property and caring for all our animals. It is feeling like a pretty good fit.
Relative Something 