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Bill heading out for hay

The hay fields on our land were all cut and baled on shares by a neighbour in late July. There were a few more bales than we expected due to the drought this year, but a lot less than we need to get us through the winter. In early August Bill started up the tractor to bring our share in to the feedlot. Our son Stephen came home after about five had been brought in, and then disappeared only to return about ten minutes later in as close to a Mad Max Mobile as you can get.

Stephen and the Mad Max Mobile

Slow but sure getting the bales in

49 bales were lined up in the feedlot with spaces between to put the 100 – 125 we still have to buy. The horses will get a variety of feed with the Timothy and Brome off our place and what ever types of hay we can purchase. Hopefully we will be able to buy for a reasonable price but prices are high right now.

Looking a little fuller

With the price being between $50 and $80 dollars a bale delivered, it will likely cost between $5000 and $8000 to get the horses through the winter. Then we will also need to find some straw bales for bedding, as well as oats and alfalfa pellets for extra energy for them in the really cold weather. The thoroughbreds and Arabs will need to have a lot more feed than the rest, but hopefully we’ll find some good timothy straw as that works well for them to eat on all day between feeding the regular hay.

Stephen kicking up dust

We are hoping that next year we will have equipment of our own to put up our own hay. If put up earlier in a good year we could get two cuttings off the land and would very likely not have to buy much in. The neighbour that puts up our hay now, does not believe in a second cut, but a lot of others around us get quite a bit of hay on a second cut. Till then we will do what we can to keep the animals fed and comfortable. Here’s hoping for a better year next year and the end to the drought. We would have gladly taken some of the excess rain from the south and Manitoba and Saskatchewan. We will keep our fingers crossed for better conditions for all provinces for next year.

Don who is actually ‘Notable Times’ is a retired Thoroughbred race horse and came to us in June of 2010. He had been rescued by young woman who shows and competes as she had hoped that he would make a good mount for her husband, who is a novice with horses.

Don may be almost 20, but the heart of a three year old, thundering down the track, still beats in him, so the match was not to be.  He got the name Don because that was the man that he was bought from. He was just called Canner before that because he was heading to the dog food factory.

Not being able to keep more than a few horses on her acreage his rescuer had to find him a new owner. After trying vainly to find another permanent home, we offered to give him one. In his time racing Don had 44 starts and is listed on his pedigree as a winner though how many he had, I don’t know.

Don grazing on the hill

Don is a winner with us though, as he never misses a chance for a hug, and is not at all mean with the other horses, even though he towers above them. Every once in a while we will look out and see him running laps around the field, probably reliving his glory days like we all do.

He is fun to ride but you have to hang on and enjoy his speed. However, with the grandchildren on board he is just a big sweetie and is careful not to lose them. It is a long way down for them and they do feel like they are on top of the world on his back.

Enjoying a hot summer day

Willow is a purebred Appaloosa and is the oldest horse on the place right  now. She is the ripe old age of 28, and she came to us about 4 years ago along with her daughter and another mare her age.

The two older mares were to be taken out in the bush and shot by their previous owner as they needed to get rid of them fast to  be able to move ,and old horses do not sell. They also had a younger mare, Willow”s daughter, Baby, who was for sale for a $1000.00. The only way I could prevent the two older mares from being shot was tell them  I would buy the younger one if they threw in the older two for $100.00 each. Needless to say we made a deal and we brought them all home.

The other mare was a tall bay Tennessee Walking horse named Dawn and both her and Willow were very underfed as the family were not able to get enough feed for all three to keep them up. Baby, also a purebred Appaloosa, was in a little better shape.  Being younger and having better teeth, she was able to eat faster than the other two. It took two years and a lot of feed to get the girls up in weight and in that time our grand children had many rides on them. Both mares had had many years as riding and pack horses and are very gentle.

So this is retirement

Willow is mostly retired now but doesn’t mind the little riders from time to time and loves her horse cookies when we have them for her. Baby and I go for a ride once in awhile when I can find the time, and she enjoys her run. Sadly Dawn passed away last winter of a heart attack, but she went quick and happily running and kicking up her heels, with Willow and Baby.

Willows daughter Baby with Molly behind her

Donte after a hard first winter

This spring we picked up a nearly one year old Appaloosa/Arabian gelding that has had a hard life for his tender age. His name is Donte and he is a little sweetheart.

As a young foal he had a hernia that needed medical attention and while they did the surgery to correct that, he was gelded as well. This of course has stunted his growth a little but it doesn’t stop him from holding his own with the other yearlings and two year old’s.

I had originally agreed to buy him from a family that were getting out of horses because of a job transfer down south, but when we went to pick him up they gave him to us for free as he had slipped on the ice and strained one front and one hind leg and had also developed a lump on his forehead probably from a kick from one of the bigger horses.

Need to grow to see over the hitch rail

Donte has since regained the proper use of both injured legs, and though he still has the bump it doesn’t seem to bother him. He loves being patted and rubbed and of course getting treats. He has been a great help to me in helping to calm down a yearling Thoroughbred filly named Misty, that is very flighty. Though she is younger then him she is twice his height, they seem to get along just fine and he has helped her integrate in with the others.

Donte will likely be a permanent fixture as my grandson Jacob, who is 7 this year, decided that they would make a good team. Jacob spends time with him when he comes to visit. I’m sure in a year or two they will have many adventures together.

Donte resting while Misty stands gaurd

Up to their bellies in grass

It took a little time, but with Bill and our son Stephen using up their whole weekend off, we finally got the fences up on the back hay field in mid July and combined  a couple of pastures of horses into that. All twenty one  are happily mowing it down and putting on the needed pounds for winter.

My little paint stallion, Zip, being the sweetheart he is does not even mind the four geldings being in with him and his little band of mares. He  even spends time scratching necks with them. We hope to get the other 50 acres of hay fields and 50 acres of bushland fenced when all the hay is off. That should shorten the number of days they will need to be on hay this winter. With the price of the extra hay needed because of the drought, any little bit helps.

the young ones

Meanwhile we managed to fence off a good chunk of bush for the eight yearlings/two year old’s to fatten up in. We will have to supplement their grass with oats and alfalfa pellets, to try and get some weight on the two newest yearling fillies we have taken in, as they are pretty thin. They will likely have to be penned seperately this winter to keep them up in weight, one being a Thoroughbred and the other an Arabian, they will need more feed than the quarter horses and paints.