On this Christmas, I am thankful.
I am thankful for my wonderful husband, and 2 adorable snow-puppies… who happily and without complaint, spent our first white Christmas in Tennessee taking care of the 9 Green Barn ponies.
I am thankful for those 9 4-legged babies, each with their own truly unique personality.
I have heard mounds of horror stories regarding taking care of horses in the winter… that even as far south as Tennessee, one would end up spending hours breaking up ice in the water troughs with a sledgehammer. That water lines freeze and horses get dehydrated.
We’ve been waiting for “Fanny,” an 8-year old sorrel overo APHA (American Paint Horse) for quite some time :)
“Fanny,” owned by Lauren, made the long trek from Johnstown, PA (close to my hubby’s hometown, how weird!) to the Green Barn in Franklin, TN this past week.
This year, for my boarder’s Christmas gifts, I decided to do a framed photo of each of the ponies at the Green Barn… but of course we couldn’t stop there… It is Christmas right?
“Air” – Trakehner Gelding
“Chief” – Draft/X Gelding
“Godiva Jolene” – TB Mare
“Mr.
I love when the Green Barn family expands to include new members :)
This week, we welcomed Mr. Sinatra, and his ecstatic new owners Patti and Kristi.
Mr. Sinatra is a gorgeous 9 year old Spotted Saddle gelding. The other horses were definitely interested to meet the newcomer!
Anyone who’s ever perused the “horse treatment” aisle knows that although there is a fortune to be made in this industry, almost every ailment listed on those bottles can be soothed with a handful of common household items.
At the Green Barn, we always try to go the most natural route possible, and so therefore I am ALL OVER home remedies, especially when it comes to treating horses for all the crazy things they need treatment for…
I adore Bonnie Timmons, she’s hilarious :)
**from her book Hold Your Horses: Nuggets of Truth for People Who Love Horses… No Matter What
THINGS HORSES SPOOK AT:
In the past, I might have said – WHO CARES why they kick?! Just stay out of the way of the flying hoof! (Easier said than done, by the way!)
But now that I spend as much time around horses as I do, it’s absolutely essential to be aware of the reasons horses kick, and try to limit those reasons when they are within reach of a human :)
Ask my friend Becky, she is well-aquainted with one of the reasons… an annoyed horse due to improper past training and while Becky was attempting to retrain a behavior… you fill in the blank…
Boo!!!
All Tennessee horse people dread the winter for 1 main reason…
WINTER = MUDDY HORSES
We are seeing LOTS of this at the Green Barn and we haven’t even reached Turkey Day yet!
Sighhh…
So, in preparation, I am reviewing my protocol* for healthy horse winter grooming:
The horses have told me it’s time for hay in their pastures…
…and I wasn’t terribly concerned about this because I have a FANTASTIC hay supplier with great prices. :)
However, i’ve changed my tune a bit as in 4 SHORT DAYS we went from this:
to this!
I tend to write from my own experiences… meaning, when I learn something – YOU learn something!
And this week, i’m learning about manure… how to manage it, where to put it, what to do with it… lol
One thing is for sure, with 12 horses on the property, there is no shortage of manure.
Poor Jolene’s eyes bugged out of her head when realized she “accidentally” took a chunk out of my arm… to her credit, she was aiming for Smoke :)
LESSON OF THE DAY: Stay alert! Horses can be dangerous, even if they aren’t trying to be!… Continue Reading