Bill was kind enough not to mention it, but I abandoned him and the livestock again – for 28 days this time! I was in Arizona with my older son and his family for the birth of their second child. Our granddaughter, Bailey Brooke, was born May 11. She’s beautiful – of course! I really enjoyed spending time with my son, daughter-in-law, grandson and granddaughter, but it was hard being away from my family back in Tennessee (2-legged and 4-legged) for that long. I even missed Valentine’s birthday, on May 18.
I’m back now, and although some people may scoff, I know my babies missed me. Okay, the dogs were more open about welcoming me back, but Moonshine and Valentine were happy to see me too, I could tell. It was something about the look in their eyes, and the way Moonshine tucked her head into my shoulder and just left it there.
That, and probably that Bill instituted a no-spoiling policy while I was gone, without my approval. Our friend took care of them while he joined me in AZ for 10 days, and she does NOT spoil her horses – so she didn’t spoil ours either. No sleeping inside all night with hay and water, they just stayed out in the pasture all day and all night, with about 10 short minutes in the stalls in the morning for oats. I think her no-frills way of caring for our horses (perfectly safe, by the way) appealed to the lazy side of my dear husband. I have to admit, it’s sort of appealing to me too – I haven’t had to shovel poo since I got back – but I still don’t like the idea of them being outside all night long. It still makes me nervous. But we’ll see. Paranoia may win out in the end.
Of course your horses missed you, and don’t let anyone tell you different!
I’m like you – I can’t stand to think my babies might be uncomfortable. My setup is such that they can come and go from the barn at will. They’re never locked in or out.
Surprisingly – or maybe not – they hardly EVER poop in the stalls, and often don’t pee much either.
Of course my horses are NOT spoiled…
Congratulations on the birth of your grand-daughter!
Thank you, Peggy!
MorganLvr, I like your setup. We’ve thought about doing that too, but without buying another gate we could only safely have one stall open to them, and we’re worried about the two of them ending up in one stall. Of course, even with access to two stalls, they’d still probably end up in one stall. We worry because Moonshine tends to kick Valentine if he gets too close to her, even in the open. Do your horses end up in the same stall, and does any mischief result?
I think you should try keeping them out more often. Alot of people believe it’s healthier for their legs and feet. If you think about their natural habitat, they’re meant to be outside. If I locked mine in a stall at night, they’d probably injure themselves because they are so used to it. Not to say that they shouldn’t go in during a cold winter storm. Or a bad summer one. I understand the spoiling bit too. There isn’t an animal in this property that isn’t spoiled, horse, dog, cat or otherwise.