I have good intentions of riding Gussie, but things just keep happening that put my riding on hold. For example, this morning when I went to put the mares out to pasture, I was surprised to see that Rio wasn't in the stall with his mama- he was with Gussie and Chickory in the rest of the mare pen. Huh? The only way he could have got out was if he was laying down next to the panels (the foaling stall is 20 X 20, made out of 2W corral panels, five feet high, and covered with plywood on three sides) and managed to get underneath. So that stepped up my plan of removing the foaling stall, as Rio is now big enough that he doesn't need to be kept separate any more, and the mares have their herd dynamics all worked out from being in the big pasture together during the day.
So my plan to ride was put on hold while I dismantled the pen, and baby-proofed the rest of the pen. That meant going through the shelter that is in the middle of the pen, taking down one front wall that was a little rickety, patching a hole in the back wall that Velvet excavated, removing or pounding in any errant nails, and removing the empty bale feeder that I had stacked against one side of the fenceline.
You can see in the background of this photo Beamer's rickety shelter and part of the cattle handling equipment
Then I got looking at Beamer's pen, and planning how I'm going to make some changes in there: he has a rickety shelter too, if you remember the wind actually moved it off its skids, and it's too low; it's actually a cattle shelter. So the plan is to remove it, and make Beamer a shelter off part of the overhang that houses the foaling pen area. Which means moving the remainder of the cattle handling equipment that forms part of Beamers pen, and bringing in the extra panels from the pasture....and that means that I probably won't get to ride tomorrow either.
The dotted lines show where the panels will go to make the new fenceline; the yellow outline shows the roof of the overhang.
It'll probably take two days to do the changes to Beamer's pen, so hopefully Friday I can saddle up her red roan self and have some fun; Saturday we cut and wrap the beef.
8 comments:
Thats funny, I had a ride planned today as well but fencing and moving ponies around got in the way. Sometimes thats the way it goes.
lots of work in the spring I guess, but it will be worth it .Just be careful and don't ovedo it !
I have been too distracted by the opening shot of Beamers' hindquarters there...good muscling!
A friend of mine put her momma mare and colt out in her round pen - she saw him laying down with his head out under the railing - thinking "oh no, he casted!" she ran out there - comes to find out he was eating away at the new spring grass sideways with his little mouth while out laying flat - no rail was going to stop him, no way... those little buggars are pretty ingenious!
I like the clean up and fix up of spring....or at least the planning of it. It's too bad you couldn't have brought the shed you left in Alberta.
sneaky boy! He's already trying to hang around with the girls huh?
Sounds like you have some work cut out for you over the next few days! Are you going to post about cutting up the beef? I'm curious b/c I've never been around when that was done. And also, since Url's been dead a few days, where is he stored, that he can wait till Sat to be cut up and wrapped? I've had it in my head to try this whole raising and butchering, so I'm really interested.
Sarah, we have a friend who has a meat cooler; it is basically a walk in cold room. We usually hang meat for about a week before cutting it up; he's keeping the temperature at 34 degrees F. We will do the cutting and wrapping ourselves. I've processed plenty of wild game, and worked as a wrapper for a butcher for about a month, so it should go well.
Linda, that was an awesome shed as was the run in shelter. Thanks Rick and Wendy!
Seems like spring always has projects that must be done interferring with riding time. Hope it all goes smoothly and you're able to be back in the saddle when planned.
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