Slow Death
In my lifetime, I’ve watched a lot of trees die a slow death. The willow in our small paddock was a beautiful tree when we moved here. When we fenced it in, we knew the risk we were taking and tried to protect the bark with a variety of barriers to prevent horses from chewing on it. That battle was not going to stave off the inevitable because the combination of heavy hoof traffic and standing urine puddles in that very wet soil was killing it from the ground up.
2013
When it became obvious the tree was dying, we removed the protection from the trunk and let the horses have at it. For two growing seasons, I have been shocked by how much green growth was still sprouting amid the tangle of dead branches. Today, the lean is obvious, and I’m not sure the tree will be standing long enough to find out if any new leaves will show up at all this year.
The horses have seemed to enjoy chewing away at the base of their favorite shade spot.
At this point, it hardly offers much shade at all, but they still frequently hang out beneath it, maybe out of habit.
Soon I will have to cut it up and haul the debris away and the horses will have nothing to stand under except for the overhang of the barn. This has me dreaming again of a sail shade for them. I think that would be pretty slick.
I also think it would be pretty expensive to pull off. I have my doubts about such a feature working in our climate year-round and wonder how long a life expectancy a sail would have under relentless UV rays, occasional high winds, and periods of heavy snow. However, in the simple terms of shade on a sunny day, I think it would be a really neat solution.
Maybe we should do a feasibility study on the idea. If it ends up not being a sensible way to provide shade for the horses, there are other possibilities we could consider. Coming up with something that will take the abuse that horses can dish out tends to complicate the search, but by looking for ways other horse folks have solved the issue, I’m sure we could find a reasonably affordable method that beats a dying willow tree.
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Relative Something 
Oooh! An engineering problem! Challenge accepted! Seriously, I’m an engineering nerd! Let me know. 🙂
Thomas Slatin (She/Her) 🏳️🌈
February 2, 2025 at 9:44 am
My friend Mike, sent me a link to Menard’s for a 16.5’ sail shade priced at $40. Hmm.
Questions: How much area of shade does that translate to in general? How important would height of installation be? How robust do mounting posts need to be, like what forces are they withstanding? Does it matter how far away post is from sail if there is enough rope/cable to reach in case one post location ends up being a longer distance away?
At that price, two or more sails are possible, as well if I could figure out the mounting situatio.
johnwhays
February 2, 2025 at 10:46 am
If you tell me the square footage of the sail and the height you plan to hang it, I can totally do the calculations for you and suggest the appropriate type of rope you will need. I will also need to know the distance of the lines between the attachment points.
I used to have to calculate these things at work for rescue missions where people were suspended, along with hundreds of pounds of equipment, etc. This is going to be fun!
Let me know! 😀
Thomas Slatin (She/Her) 🏳️🌈
February 2, 2025 at 10:58 am
Thanks a bunch, Thomas! If this idea germinates, I will definitely include you in the process, and we can work together via email.
This is inspiring me to begin planning to tend to the dead willow sooner rather than later to get it out of the way. 🙂
johnwhays
February 2, 2025 at 11:03 am
Just so you know, I will need every detail, including the total square footage, height you plan to hang the sail, and the approximate weight of the sail, distance from attachment points, especially what support objects you intend to anchor to. I will keep an eye out for your email. If you end up taking my engineering advice, I only ask that you give me a mention on your blog in exchange. 🙂
Thomas Slatin (She/Her) 🏳️🌈
February 2, 2025 at 11:09 am