The 2011 Barn Names Survey

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Bill

Horse Stall Sign CloseupAbout four years ago we wrote a post about barn names called Curiously Fun Barn Names. Since then, that post has had a lot of comments revealing some really interesting ones. The thought occurred to me that we ought to run a survey of barn names with a few questions such as age and location so we could see if there are any geographical trends. You’d also be able to pick your favorite barn name from those suggested so far. Want to participate? This is all just for fun so there’s no need to identify yourself. I did include an email field in case you’d like to get an email with the results. Depending on how popular it is, I’ll keep it open for a while and will then report the results here on our blog.

 

 

Posted in Horse Lifestyle | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Keeping Barn Plants Alive

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Bill

Currently living barn fernsIn our travels we’ve seen some pretty fancy barns. We’re not rich so we can’t afford a landscaping staff to decorate and care for our barn plants like the beautiful Biltmore Mansion stables, for example. But as soon as the weather warms enough to stop threatening frost, I look for ways to liven up the place. Last year I added simple black metal hangers from our barn posts and bought some ferns. This may sound weird but I saw something similar on the porch of a funeral home and I liked how it looked. But I have a poor history with plants. Some colorblindness prevents me from easily telling the difference between green and brown. Unless something is shriveled up, I’m likely to keep watering it, wondering why it doesn’t grow or flower again. I also tend to have trouble with how often to water plants so I either over or under water. Ferns looked hardy. After all, they grow wild in the woods with no one to water them. How hard could it be? But a month into my barn beautification experiment I was reminded why I wasn’t a horticulturist. I might not have been able to tell if they were brown or green but those suckers looked dead to me. Unfazed by my plant failures from last year, I invested in some new ferns this year and I think I may have figured out the secret. Each day when I let the horses in, I water the ferns. Since they’re in hanging baskets, they seem to dry out quickly. And judging from the moist environment in the mountains where ferns thrive, I’m guessing the container-bound ferns prefer to be moist as well. I judge how much water to give them by sensing the weight empty versus wet. I’ve gone as long as a single day without watering without trouble. It’s extra work but the results are worth it to me. I’m going to have to find someone to water my plants when we go on vacation.

I learned one important lesson that in retrospect should have been obvious. Do not put a plant within reach of horses. Remember, they have long necks! Last year Moonshine ate the fern on the pole nearest the pasture.

I’d love to hear how you decorate your barn with plants or flowers in the warmer months. Any green thumbs out there? In the meantime, maybe someone can tell me if the ferns in the picture are green or brown. :-)

Posted in The Barn | Tagged | 2 Comments

I Kissed a Horse Yesterday

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Mikki

Horse HugNormally that would pretty much be an everyday occurrence for me, but since I broke my foot two months ago, I haven’t been able to even get near one.  I wasn’t able to put any weight at all on my right foot, so I was using a “knee walker” to get around.  The grounds around our barn and pasture are way too uneven to take that thing over, and doing it on crutches would have been just asking for more injuries.  But yesterday I went back to my doctor for a checkup, and he told me I could ditch the crutches and scooter!  I’m finally walking on two feet again!  Albeit in a boot still, but I’m so glad to get rid of that scooter.  So when we got home, my dad took me up to the top of the hill in the John Deere Gator, and I walked over to the fence where Cash obligingly let me rub his head and neck and muzzle and smooch his velvety nose.  Ahhhh….horses smell so good!

Posted in Horse Lifestyle | 2 Comments

Broken Foot = No Horse Stuff.

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Mikki

Broken Foot Pink CastSometimes I wonder if I’m meant to have horses.  Given my tendency to clumsiness, maybe not.  Here’s the latest:  On March 26, just as the days were getting warmer and the fields were getting greener, and Bill and I were looking forward to washing all the winter mud off our horses and saddling them up again, I broke my foot.  I wish I had a cool story – maybe something involving a rodeo and finally giving Moonshine her day in the sun – but the sad truth is, I slipped on a used puppy pad.  Yep, that’s it.  We have an old dog in kidney and liver failure who is a bit incontinent, so we keep puppy pads by the back door.  I hadn’t picked one up out of sheer laziness; I stepped outside, over it, to let the littlest dog out, and when I stepped back in, I forgot all about the darn thing and stepped right on it.  Turns out they’re pretty slippery.  We went to the emergency clinic (it was Saturday, of course – all emergencies happen at night or on weekends) and the PA on duty said it was just a sprain. On Monday the radiologist called and said it was definitely more than a sprain.  By Wednesday my foot was in a pretty pink cast and I was on crutches.   (After about a week on crutches I switched to a knee walker – a wheeled walker you put your knee on like a scooter. Much better than crutches!)  I wasn’t allowed to put any weight on that foot until the orthopedic doc gave me the okay on April 27 – now I can stand on it (on both feet, not just that one) but still can’t walk on it.   The doctor says at my next appointment I may get the okay to walk on it.  Two months off the foot all together.  Two months of SPRING.  What bad luck!

And you’ll note it was my right foot…no driving.  I also cannot go anywhere with uneven ground: for instance, to the barn.  I certainly can’t go into the barn with a horse, since I wouldn’t be able to maneuver out of his way if necessary.  Can’t feed them or water them or even pet them!  Poor Bill has had complete responsibility for all the farm chores all this time.  Except when he traveled on business, then my poor dad had to take over.  I never thought I’d miss feeding horses in pouring down rain, or shoveling stalls, or scrubbing buckets…but I sure do now.  I can’t wait to be on two feet again.  Even after I’m allowed to walk again, I suspect I’ll baby my foot for a while and probably won’t be riding for another month to be sure.

If any of you have broken a foot or leg, I’d love to hear your recovery story/advice.

Posted in Horse Lifestyle | Tagged | 12 Comments

Lucky to be alive

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Bill

By now you’ve heard about or experienced first hand the large and unusual storm system that raked through the south last Wednesday (4/27/11). A week ago today, we strolled outside to discover the damage caused by severe thunderstorms that went on and on from around 4 PM through midnight. Yesterday we learned that nine tornadoes were officially recorded in our small east Tennessee county alone, knocking down trees and power lines, destroying homes and barns and in some cases killing people and livestock. I’ve never seen a storm like that. It was one serious thunderstorm after another for almost eight hours straight. At one point the wind blew so ferociously my family and I grabbed blankets and pillows and took cover in the center of our house, away from windows. We’d return to that spot a few times that night, as the wind howled and local radio stations and Twitter updates warned that strong cells were approaching, hail was on the way or apparent tornadoes were on the ground and moving fast. It was scary and exhausting.

It took days for us to assess the full impact of the storm. News reports showed the terrible destruction in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where we camped two weeks prior and in Ringgold, Georgia, not far from where we live and a town we frequent on trips to Atlanta. There was a lot of damage locally, too. In fact in our own back yard we lost our workshop (pictured above) when a large hickory tree succumbed to the wind and saturated ground. 45 degrees to the right of where that tree fell was the room we were in at the time. It most certainly would have crushed us. It may seem dramatic to say it but we feel lucky to be alive today.

I haven’t mentioned our horses yet because they were fine in the barn. Well, fine is a relative term. Our horses don’t seem to mind storms much except for Moonshine. I periodically peeked out the back door and saw her nervously watching and pacing in her stall. We worried about the barn but it’s the age old question in storms: Are horses safer in the barn or on their own, where maybe they could run away, if needed? We prefer them in the barn. Besides avoiding them being pelted with the over five inches of rain that fell that night, they were relatively safe from tree debris and we didn’t have to worry about them escaping through a downed fence due to fallen trees. Four of our neighbors trees fell over our fence and we lost about 20 other trees in other parts of the pasture. But the horses were safe in the barn…this time. In storms like this, horse owners have a lot to worry about.

If you have any trees on your property and don’t already have one, trust me on this – you need a chainsaw. Maybe two. For the next several days, we spent many hours clearing fallen trees with chainsaws. Sometimes one got stuck in a pinched tree, requiring the use of a second chainsaw to free it. It’s not just major storms. Trees die and fall. We may not use it often but a chainsaw is an invaluable tool at our place. You don’t want to be trying to buy one when they’re in demand, such as after a storm like this (none were to be found).

We feel for those who have lost lives, family, animals or property in the storm last week. Did this storm touch you or your family? Have you heard about any horse rescues?

Posted in Pasture | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Trapped by sudden storms

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Bill

There was a slight chance of rain and the sky looked a little darker than usual for 5 PM but as I headed up to the barn to feed the horses I had no idea I was about to be trapped. I poured feed into buckets as the spigot was opened changing the light drizzle to a downpour. Our horses don’t seem to care about being wet but I rushed to get them in so I could remain as dry as possible. Our barn has a metal roof that seems to magnify the sound of rain so it sounds like hail. Soon the rain was followed by hail and the wind whipped through the open center aisle as I took cover in the hay loft. I wasn’t going anywhere. Fortunately, the storm lasted only 10 minutes which gave me time to think about how often this happens to me in east Tennessee. We sure get a lot of rain here. I learned a long time ago to always bring a phone but no one could hear me over that racket so I resorted to texting to let my family know where I was. And then I just sat there and watch the rain and muddy torrent of water rush down our hilled pasture. I need to work on erosion control.

Of course I also needed to put out a few round bales of hay so once the rain stopped, I hoped into our tractor and made my way down hill in the newly slick mud. Interestingly I had almost no control in two wheel drive going downhill. I know the key is to keep moving (though not too fast) but the front tires acted like snowmobile skids. Going uphill was no possible in 2wd, even with the rear axle locked (so both tires would spin at the same time). If you like in a place with clay soil and some elevation, don’t let anyone try to convince you that you only need a 2wd tractor. We use 4wd in our tractor very often. For more information about that, click the 4wd tag on this post.

Have you been trapped in your barn or shed by storms like this?

Posted in Horse Lifestyle, Small Farm Tractor | Tagged , | Leave a comment