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Thursday, October 31, 2013

Settling in

They've been home for a month and we're starting to figure things out here on the homefront. Gwen has relaxed and finally stopped pacing the fence; she's even started lying down for naps every morning, which is wonderful to see. I'm figuring out how to care for my animals and a baby at the same time- thank goodness for playpens and strollers! I think the little guy is going to start walking in the next month or two so then I'll have a new monkey wrench thrown in the works.

I've had to get a tad creative about grazing since my permanent pasture is currently grass-free. I now have a collection of step-in posts that allow me to make temporary paddocks.

Temporary paddock #1
I wish my husband would let me fence in the yard so we wouldn't have to mow, but he is emphatically against it. That doesn't mean they can't graze there loose for an hour or so.

mowing the lawn for me
I've been on a bare handful of  rides since they've been home. It took a while to get a trail cleared so I could ride. My husband was so proud that he'd gotten his tractor and made me a trail to ride on by my birthday, so I got all excited and tacked up Coriander and got Gwen in tow (because I can't leave her behind or she'll catch up, dragging the fence behind her.), only to find that what my husband considers a cleared trail is not what I consider a cleared trail. There was brush and broken trees everywhere! Oh well, I guess everything looks different from horseback than from a tractor.


That's about all that's happening here right now, eventually I'll have more to talk about- it might not be until next year though. Babies do change everything!

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12 comments:

  1. Grey Horse MattersOctober 31, 2013 at 9:16 PM

    I'm sure you'll figure it all out as you go along. Glad you got a ride in even if it was not quite the trail you expected, The intention was good and that's what counts.

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    1. smazourekOctober 31, 2013 at 9:23 PM

      Considering that my husband is so not into horses he really has gone above and beyond helping me out with them. He did go back out with me and clear the trails so I could ride. And then a week later took the tractor out and they got all dangerous again... this property is a work in progress.

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  2. KalinOctober 31, 2013 at 9:36 PM

    A work-in-progress is better than no property at all! I so wish I could have my Quarter at home! The trails at the farm I board at need some work, too...oh well!

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    1. smazourekNovember 1, 2013 at 8:35 AM

      If your horse is up for it trail clearing is very good for training. Standing still while you clip branches or while you mount and dismount to move stuff on the ground is good for them. It's just a little hard for me since I'm riding one and ponying the other!

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  3. Lavender and TwillNovember 1, 2013 at 5:08 AM

    My best solution with riding and babies is to put the hubs on baby-watching duties. Unfortunately, this does mean I usually only get to ride 2, if I'm lucky, 3 times a week. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. :)

    bonita of A Riding Habit

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    1. smazourekNovember 1, 2013 at 8:37 AM

      I hear ya, hubs loves watching the baby, especially now that he's so interactive. Once my trail is permanently clear I should be able to ride more often- though probably only 2-3 a week as well.

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  4. allhorsestuffNovember 1, 2013 at 1:00 PM

    A Great start!! 2-3 times a week...that is really good i think with your new position in life! Funny about the trail clearing..yea, I even went out on a trail clearing expedition with my horsey people at the barn...i did NOT even like the way they cleared trails...I went back through their work and did more!

    Like someone mentioned...a work in progress(what a dream) is better than not having! I froth at the mouth thinking of my own property!

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    1. smazourekNovember 1, 2013 at 7:19 PM

      It's always interesting going on trail rides and clearing trails with new people, they almost never do it the way you'd like! LOL

      I just wish people would use hand signals or at least warn everyone else when they're going to stop or gallop wildly off.

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  5. ValNovember 1, 2013 at 5:35 PM

    I love the picture of your horses in your yard. That is heaven! I rode Harley for twenty minutes at the walk and it was so great I thought I would cry.

    So you think he will walk before a year? My little one loves to be held in the standing position, but she is only five months old and has a ways to go yet. She wants to talk like it is nobody's business.

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    1. smazourekNovember 1, 2013 at 7:23 PM

      My little dude starting crawling at 5 months and the day he turned 6 months he pulled himself up to stand, now at 7 months he's learning how to balance so it's only a matter of time. But he doesn't talk much, it seems he chose locomotion over communication for now. I think boys are like that.

      Don't be in a hurry for your girl to get moving, it raises babycare up a whole level of difficulty!

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  6. smazourekNovember 3, 2013 at 5:56 PM

    My husband is the expert so I'll have more to say once we actually start working on it. But so far we're going to let the horses poo-it-up (fertilizer) and spread out hay for them to grind in. Then, here's the most important part, we're going to make another pasture or two for them to live on while we prepare the field for seed and then let it grow. Then I'll be able to rotate them and hopefully they'll have grass for most of the year.

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  7. WolfieNovember 5, 2013 at 10:29 AM

    The place looks fab! How wonderful that you can have your horses in your yard, arms-length away.

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