The Great Horse Adventure Ends

We got Gus the horse last March, shortly after we moved into our new country home and a woman we met said she had a horse who would love to live on our property. For years we'd talked about having a place where we could have an old horse and some goats, and now we did, so we gladly accepted him.

We knew absolutely nothing about horses. I bought books and consulted the Internet treasure trove frequently, and we kept Gus alive and healthy.

But it turns out that having a horse is a lot of work, and I wasn't finding the time to learn to ride him, and we really didn't have a good or safe place for me to ride him. So we called his owner last week, and she came and got him this morning. He was thrilled to see her, and he's gone to a good home with all his old horse companions waiting for him.

In the picture above, Gus is pointing with his head at the shed at the bottom of the hill, where I'm supposed to go feed him. In the next picture, he starts toward the shed, figuring that although I'm obviously an idiot, I should be able to get a really pointed hint.



He continues down the hill....



Then he realizes that I'm not following, and stop to give me The Look.

The Look means 'you don't know nothing about taking care of horses, lady.' I've gotten that look a lot since March. I know, Gus, I know.

His owner commented on how great he looked when she picked him up. That's my husband's doing. He's shouldered most of the burden of horse care this last year. He's fed him twice a day, picked a mountain of poop, and worried about him when he's done something we didn't understand, like lie down in the middle of the pasture. And he did it for me, so I could realize a childhood dream of riding. He didn't really want a horse, and he's had health issues that have often made the work difficult, but he never complained, and didn't even let me know he'd be happier with Gus gone until I brought it up. He's a special guy. Thanks, sweetie.

Now we can take trips...and sleep in on the weekend...and let the wounds to the earth from those big horse hooves heal.

But I'm still glad we did it. We stretched ourselves, learned new things, and had the experience of knowing a majestic creature who is profoundly different from us. There's nothing quite like looking out the window and seeing that beautiful animal in your own pasture. I'll remember that forever....but when I imagine it, I'll also see in my mind's eye a steaming pile of poop beside him, and that special glint in his eye that means he deliberately put it someplace where it's hard to get.

Who says horses don't have a sense of humor?...

Experimenting with Gus

I'm working on making the pictures in my blog larger, so I'm experimenting with an old picture of Gus. Thanks to Pix from Rural Rambles (http://waterloofarms.blogspot.com/) for the instructions on how to do this! (Eventually I'll figure out how to make the extra spacing go away.)

From Blogger Pictures

The Winter Hungries

I'm embarrassed to even complain about the cold here in South Carolina. It's in the 40's, and I'm miserable. The horse is miserable, the goats are miserable, and the cats....well, actually, they're just asleep on the couch. I know it's so much colder in most of the rest of the country, but try telling that to Gus the horse.



He's cold, wet, and muddy. All I can think about as I look at him is how much work it's going to be to get that mud off of him later on, especially with his nice thick winter coat.



Everyone's hungry all the time now. It feels like a full-time job keeping them all in hay. We tried 'free-choice' hay for a while, by putting a bale of hay in a baby crib and setting it out, but they wasted so much of it that they were going through a rectangular bale a day, with much of it just getting trampled into the earth. The county extension agent told us that's actually good for the soil, but it's not so good for our pocketbook.



Even the cats are hungry all the time. Irving, the brown tabby in the picture below, brought his wand toy to the door in front of the food room, and settled down to play quietly with it while waiting to be fed. Halley joined him.

After all, it was only two hours until feeding time.



You can see that Halley (the white cat) hasn't missed any meals lately. In fact, I suspect she's suckering us into double-feeding her. She was spayed recently, and she went almost overnight from a bone-thin kitty to what you see here. We actually went and researched whether a cat can still be pregnant once it's spayed. They can't, but tell me that cat doesn't look pregnant...

WannaBe Rider

It was a beautiful day here again today, so we decided to try saddling Gus and riding him. I got him saddled, and got on, but had the same problem with him refusing to move, or refusing to go in the direction I wanted him to go in. I decided that I must have saddled him wrong, because clearly he's a very good horse and he wouldn't just refuse to do what I asked him to do.

So I got off, and then my husband said, "I want to try." I was surprised, because he had already made it clear that he didn't want to ride. He mounted, and gave Gus the same signals I had given him. Gus immediately moved forward, and my husband was riding.

Huh?

It was ME.



My husband got off, and said, "I could just tell he wasn't taking you seriously." I got back on, and urged him forward more decisively. Sure enough, he started to move.



We went for a ride halfway around the pond and back. The colors are incredible today. It was almost 80 degrees, with a soft breeze, and that crystal clear light that turns everything to gold.



So I still stink at riding, but I'm making progress. At least he goes forward when I ask him. That's kind of a low bar for success, I know, but it's definitely progress over last time.

Next step: riding lessons.

Equine Holiday

It was a gorgeous fall day here, so I thought I'd try riding Gus again. I hurt my back after buying the saddle so haven't done much, but I'm feeling better so it seemed like a good day. My very kind husband carried the saddle down to the pasture for me, and watched with amusement -- and, unfortunately, a camera -- while I saddled Gus for only the second time. (For some reason, those pictures wouldn't upload to Blogger. Very strange.)

We did some trial-and-error and discovered that I really need the step stool to be able to mount without pulling the saddle over to the side, since I can only tighten the cinch so far. I ended up on top of him with the saddle, and me, listing to the side like a sloop in a strong wind. There were some amusing pictures of that, too...perhaps even a video...but once again, technical difficulties prevent you from seeing those. Darn.

Doesn't Gus look great with his saddle on?



Unfortunately, he didn't feel as good as he looks. He was vaccinated and dewormed the other day, and hasn't been himself since. We thought he was feeling better, but he obviously did not want to be ridden. I really appreciated that his method of showing me that was just not to move when I asked him to...as opposed to the more dramatic 'dump the novice rider on her head' method. He was so good last time I rode him that I knew he just wasn't feeling well this time, and there's always another day.

Halley the cat came to investigate what we were doing, of course. She needs to know about everything that goes on. It was fortunate that she stopped by, because it turns out that a saddle is the best cat toy EVER.



It has great smells...it has strings attached to play with...and you can hide under it. What more could a cat want?

Big Teeth...and Snot

Can I use the word 'snot' in a blog? Can I show a picture of it?

There's really no other way to describe what Irving, our new abandoned kitty, did to the wall by my computer desk. A friend who was visiting recently and insisted on taking this picture was kind enough to illustrate the location of the huge lugy with that blue arrow. Irving hocked it up, spat it onto the wall, and then settled in for a little nap behind my computer monitor. (I picture him mentally saying, "There -- I've decorated it for you.")



Unfortunately, Irving isn't doing too well. He came down with the cold a few days after someone dumped him on our back porch, and is not recovering, despite several doses of increasingly stronger antibiotics. The vet sedated him yesterday and took a nasal swab to send off to a lab for diagnosis. You know your cat isn't doing well when they have to do that. He's probably the sweetest cat we've ever had, so we're hanging in there with him.

On a lighter note, the same friend got this really classy picture of Gus the horse. I'm pretty sure that the editors of some equine magazine will see this picture and want to put it on the cover, so I'll be monitoring my incoming e-mails for their offer.



The equine vet came last night to give Gus his vaccinations and deworm him. Contrary to what the (clearly doctored) picture above might imply about him, he was a gentleman and took it all calmly. The vet said he's the 'perfect weight for his age.'

I tried to get her to say the same about me, but she said she wasn't qualified to make that judgment. I think she was just trying to get out of it, personally.

Sheer Brilliance...and Hay

Gus the horse has been having problems with hay lately. He kicks over the buckets and wants to eat it off the ground...if he'll eat it at all. We've been racking our brains to figure out the problem, and finally decided that it has something to do with him not liking to put his head in the bucket.

Once he's put the hay on the ground, he'll eat it, but it gets soiled quickly and then he stops. So we've been trying to figure out a better hay delivery system (HDS). It has to allow us to put a rectangular bale of hay in at once, so my husband isn't having to bring hay out every few hours, and it has to have ventilation from all sides so that when it rains, the hay doesn't spoil. It also has to allow access for the horse and the goats at the same time.

Isn't the solution obvious? An antique baby crib, of course!



We were taking a country drive today and passed an antique store that was advertising goats for sale. (Yes, I know that's a little odd. They own an antique store, and also raise goats.) As we went in to inquire about the goats, my husband saw the baby crib, and knew instantly that it was the answer.



We're also going to enjoy the double-takes as people drive down the road and see it...

Goats Like To Be Towel-Dried

It poured here in South Carolina today. Poured. We probably got three inches of rain before it finally let up around 5:00 p.m.

Gus the horse and the two goats stayed in the shelter all day. The goats hate rain. Gus doesn't mind a shower, but he doesn't like to get poured on. We took them hay throughout the day while they sulked.

When it finally stopped, Gus came out for some more hay. First he kindly stopped and rolled in the mud for me. He looked so funny with his mane all wet, covered in mud, and a deeply disgruntled look on his face.



Actually, they were all disgruntled. And the towel-drying? I did towel-dry them. Goats aren't supposed to be wet for long, and they were soaked. How did I get them to stand still, you ask? It turns out that goats ADORE being towel-dried. Who knew? I could have done it all day, and they would have just stood there. Their coats fluff right up too. It was oddly satisfying. I'm not sure what that says about me, but at least I do get to add the coveted 'have towel-dried a goat' to my resume.



There was another disgruntled animal out there too.



For the record, Halley ("the cat who did not pee on a bed") can come in anytime she pleases. I personally think the whole 'look how wet I got in the rain' thing is just a ploy for sympathy. And food. It's all about food. Always.

Duck Crazy

We bought three more ducks today. My husband found out that a flea market about an hour away often has ducks for sale, so we went and bought these little guys from Miss Joan the Chicken Lady, as she calls herself.



It's surprising hard to find ducks that are mature enough to release in a pond. If you buy them too small, the hawks and other predators will just eat them. We've been looking for a while for more ducks to add to the three we have already, so we were really happy to find these two males and a female. We hope they'll eventually get along with the others but right now they're huddled together as if we just brought them to Leavenworth Prison. I feel like I should be ordering them to line up for their mug shots.

This doesn't look like such a bad spot for a duck to live, does it? Unfortunately, they ran directly from the cage into the bushes around the pond, and I don't think they even know there's water out there!



Gus the horse was really interested in them. We had to lead him away to make sure he didn't accidentally step on them when they finally decide to leave the brush. The goats came to look at them too. I guess if you're a goat or a horse, life can be a little on the slow side, and any amusement is welcome.



I'm sure a good photographer would probably not have her own silhouette in the picture. Sigh.

How Do You Weigh a Horse?

I've been describing Gus as a 1200-lb horse. Really, I just picked that number out of the air, since it seems to be a standard horse size.

Today we went to Tractor Supply and I got a weight-tape for horses. You pass it around their girth just behind the front legs, and it gives you a weight estimate. Gus is actually about 1050 lbs, and that should be a high weight for him, since he's had a lot of great pasture grass this summer. (When we got him at the end of last winter, you could see his ribs.)

We have to watch his weight because his previous owner tells us that he injured his hip in an accident some years ago, and too much weight will aggravate it.



The other thing I got at Tractor Supply was the perfect shovel for scooping goat poop out of the shed. Goat poop looks just like deer poop, and it passes right through the wider tines of our horse-poop shovel. I came home and used it, and it worked great.

Hmmm, the things that make me happy have certainly changed!

An Evening Walk With a Horse

See, until Gus the horse came into our lives, we had never had a horse. The biggest pet we've had in our married lives has been a cat.

So we don't really know what's normal. For example, if you take an evening walk around your pond, is your horse supposed to walk with you? All the way around? Stopping when you do?

Here's what greeted us as we set off for our walk tonight. We paid him off with an apple. (If you look closely, you can see apple juice.)



Then we edged by him....and started walking. A quick look behind showed this.



Now here's the thing: A horse can walk a lot faster than you can. So pretty quickly he's walking on top of you, and keeping track of the relative locations of your feet and his feet is not as relaxing as you might think.

I'll tell you what IS relaxing, though....



Oh, yeah, Pops, thaaaaat's the spot....

Our weird little threesome continued on its way around the pond, as the sun fell lower in the sky, and then we were done.



And the other weird little threesome joined up and settled in for the night...

Is This Horse Really Starving?

I haven't posted any pictures of Gus the horse for a while, so I thought I'd devote today's post to him. The animals are in the lower pasture now, which contains the pond. We alternate them between the two pastures every three weeks or so.



Whenever he thinks the pasture they're in is grazed down, Gus lets us know. He insists on hay, and kicks the bin over when he's done. He hangs his head over the fence and looks longingly at the other pasture, then over at us. He puts on such a fine performance that you can practically feel the pounds melting off of him as he aches with hunger.



Gus is telling us now that the lower pasture is all used up, and it's time to move. There's only one problem. He's lying.

Do horses lie? Well, this one is. Look at the grass around him. There is PLENTY of grass left in that pasture. He just wants variety. Last night, I put him on the lead and took him out of the pasture into the back yard where we have a lot of weeds and some new grass, and let him graze. He ate heartily, then when I put him back into the pasture, he ran over to eat hay as though he was starving.

I had no idea horses were such great actors.

One more week, Gus -- you can make it.

Cat Complications

Feeding time in our household was already complicated. The horse and the goats share a pasture, so get fed at the same time.

Well, not exactly at the same time. Gus, the horse, has to eat first. Don't even try to give the goats something unless Gus has gotten his. It's too dangerous for the goats -- he kicks.

So we feed him first, then while he's distracted, we slip the goats their food, and just hope that they finish before he does. He's a slow eater, so we usually get lucky.

Enter one small cat.



She wants to be involved whenever we interact with the animals. We don't understand why, because she never gets anything out of it, but she comes running when she realizes it's feeding time.



She usually gets bored and starts to play. But she has to be nearby. Here's Arlene getting some of her favorite weeds, being watched intently by Halley.



What would we do without animals to amuse us?

It's True...

The grass actually IS greener on the other side at our place.



Actually, most of it isn't grass, but very tasty weeds, to a goat at least. I'm always amazed to see one of the goats put her heads through the fence, and then pull it back out with ease, despite the horns. (Well, there was that time Ben the baby goat got his head stuck, but frankly, he was none too bright. Cute as could be, but not bright.)

Since I posted a depressing post about the goats this morning, I thought I'd mention that they do seem to have more energy since they were de-wormed. They're actually playing again, and running. We're hoping that's a good sign. It certainly can't be a bad sign!

I took today off of work for my husband's birthday, and what did I end up doing? Grooming the horse! Here he is toward the end of it. Doesn't he look great? I've read that the purpose of grooming a horse is to transfer all of the dirt and hair from him to you. If that's so, I'm a really good groomer....