Transition

It's official.  

The winter-months' schedule for barn chores has begun here at the Lovestead. 

Horses stayed inside in their individual box stalls for the first time last night.  They'll do so until late April or early May---whenever the pastures begin to grow again.

It took some doing yesterday to get ready for the Barn-Cleaning 2019-2020 Season. 

But I got 'er done, thanks to nice weather. 

Three side doors on the barn and their tracks, which were filled with mud, manure and old hay needed to be dug out. As always, that involved both the tractor and a shovel. 

The task is never easy.  It usually takes a couple of hours.  especially because, as my body gets older and more sensitive to muscle strains, efficiency is a must.

The tractor loader was helpful in breaking down built-up masses of muck near each door.  Then came the shoveling. 

Yesterday I took great care not to load the shovel with too much weight and to avoid digging too big of a trench which would need to be filled in after each door went shut for the winter.

The approach paid off.  Eventually, with some gentle nudging back and forth, I was able to urge each door to slide shut. 

After latching them and shutting set of inside gates, which provide a second barrier in each stall, I drove to Wood's and purchased several bags of shavings. 

Stalls were then bedded.  

Next came mucking out the waterers where hay residue had built up during the summer.  

With the freedom to go in and out of the barn for several months, the horses usually drink from the outside water tank.

So, without much use, the indoor waterers not only needed some mucking but also replenishing of fresh water. They're automatic and refill only when used. 

So, with a small container I bailed yucky water from each tank until all the water was clear. 

Later, horses came from the pasture to their respective stalls. 

CB and Lily purposely have Lefty in between.  I have noticed of late that CB still thinks Lily is his mother.  He also has developed "herd bound" syndrome.  

I noticed this the other day while leading him around the yard.  With virtually every step, he looked back at the pasture to see Lily.

So, if they spend each night separated, that may pay off later when I want to work with him individually.

Separating them into individual stalls is also good for Lefty. Now, I can restrict his diet as, like me, he puts on pounds much too easily.   

The horses seemed to do okay overnight.  I had some adjusting of my own to do. 

Foremost, was to find a pair of boots which had been worn for stall cleaning.  

There's no good way to get rid of the odor of horse manure combined with urine, so it's imperative NOT to wear the boots you will be wearing to town or while riding inside someone else's car while cleaning stalls.

In short, it stinks!

After a short search, I found that I do, indeed, have a pair in the closet with brand clean soles.

I also found a pair that had definitely been to the barn. 

Along with their odor, this pair also has broken-down backs, since I'm too lazy to lean over and use the loop to pull them on.  

I'm sure as winter goes on,  this will get worse. Some aspects of laziness never change.

As I type, the horses are now eating their hay in the front pasture, one stall is clean and the other two will get mucked out after I finish my usual indoor projects. 

I actually like cleaning the barns.  It's fun thinking and listening to the morning radio programs, where this morning I listened to Beatles and found out that it's National Cranberry Relish Day. 

Have never had cranberry relish, so that will have to go on the bucket list.  Since I'm a cranberry lover, I'm thinking item could be pretty tasty.

I also appreciate the fact that cleaning barns and doing these chores keeps me pretty fit.  

In addition, I've discovered, over the years that barn cleaning does offer a totally practical reason for owning horses and cleaning up after them. 

Non-horse-owning friends and maybe even some horse owners in the family covet my black gold each year, which comes from cartload after cartload of horse apples and shavings. 

This morning signals the start of for the 2021 supply. Last year's shoveling---from three horses all winter---netted a nice big pile of what is now fertile dirt on the west side of the barn. 

So, yes, horses are good for something besides pretty. 

And, yes, winter chores have started.  Horses are adjusting and so am I.

For now, it's a nice change. Later, I may be counting the days until spring pastures bring it all to an end. 

Happy Friday.