Pasture Rotation Has Begun

Hi Friends;

I see Jen, Dani, and Katie are keeping you updated on the arrival of Sofie and Boomer.  They are so excited!  They should be.  I got to meet Sofie and Boomer yesterday and was very impressed.

The change of seasons reminds me of how poorly humans remember.  At least me.  Every winter I can't believe how cold it gets.  Every summer I am suprised with how hot it can get.  There are those fleeting spring and fall episodes when I can't remeber how nice it can be.  This is one of those weeks.  Sure, there are small drifts of snow secluded along the fences and in the woods but with a call for temps in the 60s and 70s we can ignore the remaining white stuff and rejoice in green and sun.

Kelly and Jen strung the electric fence wire around the newly installed automatic waterer a couple of weeks ago.  We planned to be ready when the weather gave us the all clear (at least for awhile).

The trailer rambled over to the jungle on a mission.   It was time to move Rocky and Peanut to the newly fashioned pasture at the Lager's. The plan was to use the occasion to introduce Miracle and Dandy to these two prior to moving on to Stagecoach.   We called ahead to make sure Miracle and Dandy were packed and ready to go.  To keep your bearings; The Lager farm is the West anchor, next door is the Jungle, the last farm down is Helen's Wild Rose Farms and is the East anchor to our horsey neighborhood.  These acreages stretch for about a mile facing the Lincoln Hwy and are backed by a double track for the Union Pacific Railroad.   Dye Creek and several drainage tributaries cross-section all the properties.

The herd was across the first creek at the jungle.  They let us walk all the way out to the bank.  They paced along the opposite bank.  Misty tossed her head and came to the creek, got a drink, and retreated.  Kyle approached the steep, rutted, and slick crossing and blocked it.  Shane stared and Rosie gave her best begging eyes trying to entice us to the other side.  The creek is cold.  Maybe not mountain cold, but certainly melting ice cold.   It's also deep (at least knee) and fast.   No way.   Boomer and Sofie approached the bank and waited for a cue from the herd.  TJ ignored the activites and kept grazing.  Bri wandered through those gathered but did not approach the blocked crossing.  Misty tossed her head by looping her nose in a circle.  She really wanted to take the plunge but knew she was not the leader. 

Jen and I decided not to carry a bucket with us to catch them.   A bucket in an open field of grain-craving horses can cause more problems than it's worth.  We did have a bag of licorice treats.   We rattled the little bag and got about the same response as before.  So there we were, facing a herd spread along the opposite creek toeing the bank, looking longingly at a little bag of goodies. 

Peanut and Rocky communicated briefly with each other in their language of biting.  This seemed to cause a plan to develop.  Here came Rocky with Peanut on his tail.  Rocky calmly negotiated the muddy trail down and across the creek.  He pleasantly munched treats waiting for Peanut to grit his teeth and belly through.  Literally, Peanut is small enough, he really makes a committment when it comes to crossing creeks.  He was delighted that a treat paid him back for his efforts.

We haltered our two and wandered back towards the trailer.  Finally, the rest of the herd decided they were being denied and charged across the creek and trotted up.  Yes, they got treats.   What a special bunch.  This was the first time I had been close to Sofie and Boomer.  They were both polite and respectful. 

Rocky and Peanut loaded onto the trailer just like pro travelers.  Next stop; Wild Rose.  Helen's House for Happy Horses!    Dandy and Miracle were in their stall for us.  The thoroughbreds greeted us across the gate.  It was a little sad for Wild Rose to say good-bye to Miracle and Dandy, but they will still be in the neighborhood.  Miracle and Dandy hopped into the back compartment of the trailer and Rocky got his first sight of them over the partician.  No way Peanut could see.

We had three cameras and all hands on deck to unload the horses and aquaint them with the new pasture.  What a let down.  No squealing, no running, no kicking.  Calmness, order, peacefulness and a perfect transition.  The Lager dog, Hagrid, is learning how to live with horses in "his" yard.  The fact that he is about the size of Dandy and Miracle is somewhat confusing.  Bindi, the Jungle Cat, still hasn't figured it out.

There was a testing of the electric fence which made Dandy a believer.  A final strand was added - since the snow drifts were so deep when the fence went up, the wire couldn't reach everywhere. 

Jennifer got to do chores.  They were all still here this morning.  Yippe!

 (L-R)
Miracle, Rocky, Dandy, Peanut
Enjoy your day;   Kris