Big Mistake

I’m afraid I made a terrible mistake in letting Elizabeth adopt Buddy and Donkey.  Glenn and I went over for Thanksgiving dinner and saw how terribly neglected and unhappy the two boys were.

 

There were scratches and rubs…

 

Cookies galore…

 

 

And way to much nuzzling and hugging.  Buddy hated every second of it, can’t you tell??

 

And just look at poor Donkey!  He’s wasting away to nothing!!

 

The farrier never did make it here to trim Donkey before he left with Elizabeth, but he was out to her place Saturday to trim both boys.  I had tried trimming Donkey when he was here, but even with 3ccs of ACE, he was still a little hellion and I never did get much done on him.  So I knew he’d be tough for the farrier today and Glenn and I headed over with more ACE and muscle to help out.  We tried backing him into a corner of the barn, but he just bullied all of us around and kicked the farrier a time or two.  It took four of us, 5ccs of ACE, and a blindfold to get him down on the ground and keep him down while Brannon (my new awesome farrier) trimmed off as much as he could.  I didn’t have my camera with me, but trust me, his poor toes look MUCH better!  It will probably take a year or more to get his feet back to normal, but Elizabeth is determined to make it happen. 

 

 

Those poor boys.  I just hope they survive.

Buddy, Donkey, and Patrick Go Home

Buddy and Donkey went to the same home and spent several minutes just looking around at their 200 acres and wondering where to start eating.  Their adopter will fence in a small area to keep them penned up off all that grass in the Spring, but for right now, they are in heaven!  I do have pictures, however, the latest addition to the house has completely destroyed the camera cable.  So until I get a new one, you’ll just have to settle for the picture of Patrick with his new girls the day they came out to ride him.

 

 

Aren’t they adorable in their little cowgirl hats???  Patrick thought they were the greatest!  They also have a little brother and another sibling on the way.  Patrick won’t be outgrown for many years!

Morning Snooze

Cold weather has arrived and we got our first heavy frost Sunday night.  Except for the greens, my garden is finished.  Each night has been dipping down in the 30’s and we spent part of Sunday going through the horse blankets and assigning each one to a horse and debating on how many more we’ll need to buy before winter.  These are sure signs that winter is coming.

But even if I didn’t know about seasons and thermometers, the herd is a pretty darned good barometer.  Not only are they starting to grow thick winter coats, but every morning following a chilly night, I can find the herd dozing in the sun on the eastern side of the hill of death – the first place in the pasture to get sun each morning.

 

By the way, Patrick is in LOVE with Miss Molly.   He flirts with her constantly and she tolerates him as long as he’s not too annoying.

 

Poor Jewel.  She never rests and is always on the lookout for danger.  Or food.  Whichever comes first.

 

Miles the mustang, standing apart from the herd because his best buddies are already in the yard chowing down on breakfast.  He’s fit himself neatly into Junior’s clique, and doesn’t like to be apart from Semi, Classy, or Junior. 

 

As I was snapping these pictures early this morning I heard a whinny coming from the back pasture, and turned to see Lilo running down to the fence, eager for breakfast.

 

Apparently, I was supposed to feed her before doing ANYTHING else.  I guess I need to get my priorities straight!

As a side note, we may have a new farrier!  He’s supposed to be coming on Thursday, so keep your fingers crossed that he actually shows up!  Donkey sure does need a trim!

Herd Protection – Check!

A few weeks ago I got a call from a very nice man, Bill, asking if I could take his horses since he had lost his job and had to move away from the farm where he kept them in order to get another job.  They weren’t even really his horses.  He had bought the farm two years ago and the previous owner said he’d be back to get them, but he never came back.  So Bill, being the kind and compassionate man that he is, kept the horses fed and gave them attention for two years.  And as almost always happens, Bill also fell in love with the furry critters and hated having to give them up.

I thought long and hard about whether or not to say Yes.  Then Bill told me that one was a mule and one was a donkey.   Didn’t I just mention a while ago about going to Sugarcreek to get a mule or two for herd protection?  Sure!  I’ll come and get them!

Molly is a flea bitten grey, about 10 years old.  She’s very sweet, but also incredibly protective of her little family.

 

Sassy is a four year old mule, out of Molly.  Sassy isn’t halter broke and it took a couple of hours for Bill to get a halter on her yesterday, and another hour for he and I to get her in the trailer.

 

This is Donkey, the miniature donkey.  I wish I could have gotten a better picture of him, but Molly and Sassy weren’t really interested in letting us near him.  But he’s a very sweet little man who loves attention.

 

Anne went with me on the first trip yesterday and on our way home with Molly and Donkey, I almost ran over this little guy.  He was standing in the middle of the road, all by his lonesome.  How could I resist?

 

Lucky, as Glenn named him, is pretty sick with a nasty sneeze, runny nose, and goopy eyes.   We’ll run him to the vet tomorrow, but right now he’s curled up on my shoulder under my shirt snoozing.  We’re keeping him separated from the other cats and making sure to wash our hands after we’ve handled him, but I really think he’s just got a bad cold.  Not to mention the big wormy belly. 

When he first met Thor, he just threw his little body up against Thor’s head for a rub… no fear of dogs here!  We’ve got him in the side room with the baby chicks (by the way, final count on those from the broody hen: 11!) and he likes to curl up on top of the wire, right above the heat lamp.   The chicks aren’t too happy about it, but I don’t think the little guy is feeling well enough to stir up trouble just yet.  Besides, most of the chicks are bigger than him!

Still Alive

Yup, I’m still here.  There have been no posts in awhile due to Jelly Belly fracturing her pelvis in four places and needing much nursing back to health and many hugs and smooches, and my allergies have made their appearance already this year.  We got a really nice thunderstorm last night which means I’m a little less whiny and miserable today than I was yesterday.  That’s a bonus for you. :)

Last night as I was sitting on the porch after dark pretending the mosquitoes weren’t driving me nuts, I heard some very non-horsey sounds coming from the back pasture and the dogs went INSANE.  I grabbed a flashlight and put all the dogs except Thor back in the house, then went to investigate.

I didn’t see anything, but Sadie, Stride, and Flo were tearing around the pasture like maniacs and came running up to me when they saw me, shaking and shivering like the devil himself were after them.  It reminded me of the night we found Maverick terrified and shivering alone in the dark last year when he was in the same pasture.

When Doc was out here to stitch up Sadie he suggested we get an Alpaca or Llama to add to the herd.  Not because they’re good protection, but because they run slower than horses.

Smartass.

So… I think we need a couple of mules for herd protection.  Maybe in a few weeks I’ll get the posse together and we’ll make a Sugarcreek run.  Please don’t be surprised if I come home with two mules and a Seymour. :)

Long Ears

Seymour doesn’t live here on the farm, I only wish he did.  He lives next door with Misfire and I told him last night that if he ever wanted to run away he was more than welcome to come live with me.  Glenn agreed and we took his measurements to see if we could get him in the front of the truck without being seen.

 

 

Seymour is the cutest little donkey this side of Middle Island Creek.  He’s also the friendliest donkey.  Once I made the mistake of scratching those long furry ears he wouldn’t let me go far enough away to take a decent picture.  He head-butted me, rubbed against me, pushed me down the bank, and nibbled on my shorts.  Which is why all of his pictures look like this.

 

 

Or this.

 

I would really like a Seymour now.