Posts Tagged ‘horses’
Featuring Legacy
The last horse to be featured from our little herd is, Legacy, aka “Legs.” I saved him for last because he already tends to command the most attention. I think partly, that is because he is a gray in an otherwise chestnut herd, but mostly it is because he is the leader.
One of the ways I notice that he is in charge is how often he stands solid, appearing oblivious to the antics of the other three when they are doing their merry-go-round game of working out their pecking order. He doesn’t bother to look up from eating while they jostle and jump, jockeying for position. Another way Legacy’s leadership is evident is the fact that he is first to approach when the herd comes over to greet people.
Legacy is pretty inquisitive and can be a bit of a mischief-maker. When we happen to be cleaning up the paddock while they are in there, he will wander over to supervise our activity. Then he will sniff at the tools or the wheelbarrow, which leads to grabbing things with his teeth, as if he is going to pick up and help.
He noticed Cyndie had hung a shirt over the fence that she had shed when she got too warm. He smelled it, grabbed it with his teeth and pulled it to the ground. Then for good measure, he wanted to paw at it with his hoof, before I rescued it from a muddy manure mess.
It is very clear when Legacy is trying to communicate something. He will make a very obvious approach to address me, and as I stand in front of him, trying to read his message, he seems to grow impatient with me. He often stomps his hoof to make a point.
I usually turn and go find Cyndie to ask her to come figure out what he wants. Sometimes it is that he wants to be fed grain or expects some treats, but one time it was that they all wanted to come into the barn and get out of the cold rain.
Legacy is a wise old leader. We are very lucky to have his watchful eye managing the safety of the herd for us. He does his job well.
Partial Accomplishments
It was kind of a slow day yesterday at Wintervale. We are approaching the first freezing overnight temperatures, so it is time to pull the pump out of our little landscape pond, and drain all our hoses. I got part way through that project. It has been that kind of week for me. I seem to only get part way to completion on everything I choose to do.
We had some luck with Delilah behaving well, a couple of days ago, so I gave her some time off-leash. I was walking around the area that I recently mowed, on the north side of the driveway, taking measurements for future fencing, and she was having the time of her life. She was running back and forth at amazing speed. It was going so well, I offered to take her for a walk through our woods. She bolted down the trail, getting way ahead of me. When I got to a place I could see her, she was facing the neighbor’s woods, locked in on something.
I called her, but she had tuned me out, and then she darted through the rusty barbed wire fence that separates our properties. I didn’t see her again for about half an hour. Our period of lucky good behavior had come to an end. While waiting for her to come back, I killed time by pulling Buckthorn up by the roots. Upon her return, she got shuttled directly to her kennel where she spent the rest of the day.
I tried to do some work shaping the main drainage channel beyond the paddocks, but it was too soon after a recent rain, and my boots and tools became a comical mud disaster. I switched my focus to the deck, where I proceeded to dismantle our gas grill to troubleshoot a problem with gas flow. I hope it is the regulator, because I have exhausted all other logical possibilities. That’ll require a trip to the store where I bought it, to swap out that part.
As the afternoon wore on, a little sunshine appeared, so I headed down to mow the labyrinth pathways. It was still a little wet, but manageable. I guess that one did get accomplished, although it doesn’t feel like completion because, by walking the path to mow, I keep seeing all the things we still want to work on down there. I’m wondering how well it will survive the winter, and whether we will be able to walk the path throughout the complete snow season.
It wasn’t one of those dramatically rewarding days here, but that’s okay. There is something valuable to be gained from days like this. The horses have a way of dealing with things, and then just going back to grazing. At one point yesterday, I decided to go down and be by the horses, to immerse myself in that kind of energy. Being with them can provide a sense of calm.
It was good for me, but I must admit, I don’t think I could rate the visit as being anything more than just a partial accomplishment, in that regard.
Safe Haven
There are several ways the horses have shown us they feel okay with the new situation they find themselves in here at Wintervale Ranch with us. They have always been very friendly with people who have stopped by to meet them, approaching the gates and interacting well.
They frequently move in close to graze alongside us when we take up a project near the fences.
They are getting along with each other very well, and appear to be a great little herd together. A few days ago, as Cyndie worked with one of them in the round pen, the other three kept vigil close by.
Whenever two are removed to go for a walk, the other pair call out with a whinny over being separated and left behind.
On Monday, I was toiling away on shoveling a drainage channel around the first paddock when I glanced up and discovered that three of the horses were laying down out in the big field together. Dezirea remained standing to serve as lookout while the others enjoyed a little down time. That is a great way to tell the horses are feeling safe here.
Growing Grass
I have developed a new fascination with growing grass, which seems funny to me, since I put so much energy into not growing grass during the 25 years we lived in Eden Prairie. Now, as I drive through the countryside, I take note of the neighbors who have grass fields for cutting hay. There are a couple on the way into Ellsworth that look pristine, and have inspired me.
The other thing that inspires me is watching the horses graze. I want to give them the best of what they want, and I’d sure like to have more than they need.
Toward that goal, we decided to mow the area to the north of our driveway. Cutting down the weeds rejuvenates the grass that is already there. I used the brush hog behind the big tractor, and had to navigate around the pine trees planted in the west portion of that area, which made it a bit of a challenge.
I took pictures of the ‘before and after’ view. One of the first things you can see in these images is how the weather changed yesterday. It got chillier as I worked, becoming a dramatically different day over a span of just a few hours.
The other thing to notice is the trail we had that was cut around the border of the field. You can see how green the grass is where it was mowed. That’s what we are after.
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I wish it was as simple as knocking down the weeds to get what we are after, but it’s not. We plan to have this area for grazing, and to keep the big field for cutting hay. If we are to let the horses graze here, we need to get it fenced. How complicated is it to add fence? Now we know. We need to think ahead to where access through a gate, or gates, will be located. We have to establish the most logical perimeter, which won’t necessarily end up being the area that’s cut.
Fencing the area will block our trail. We could move the fence that will contain the grazing area in a bit, to leave space for a trail around the outside, but that can tend to make the northern property border ambiguous. The existing property border has remnants of rusty barbed wire fencing, which we want to replace. If we update the border fence line and fence the grazing area inside that, we end up with double the fence.
That’s a tough decision for me. I don’t want more fence, I want less fence.
It’s not as simple as just cutting the area to get everything we want, but at least just cutting it will be a pretty simple way to grow grass. That’s a start.
Spectacular Views
Up before sunrise, to feed the horses, we are rewarded with some spectacular views. I had Delilah with me, on her leash, and needed to get into the paddock to open the far gate that provides the horses access to the big field. We were slow to get in there, and the herd was miffed that I had made them wait.
They crowded us at the gate, and Delilah got excited to be surrounded by such big, fascinating creatures. They were full of vim after eating their grain. There was a lot of movement, and some hooves were swung in Delilah’s direction, as I fumbled to hold the leash and work the chain that holds the gate.
When I finally got that gate to swing open, those horses bolted with gusto, leaping and kicking their joy. It was the most spectacular viewing of the morning!
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.
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.
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!
Relative Something 