I've been slowly working on my horse trailer! Far more slowly than I'd like, but so far:
Today I pulled out the mats and finally got a good look at the floor boards. With the more expert help of my brother and my dad, we've decided we're gonna put untreated oak down. My brother works for a construction/black topping company, and this is what they use on their open flat bed trailers to haul the road equipment. He said the untreated oak would be stronger and last longer than pressure treated pine or anything. The people who put the current floor in apparently didn't know that you're supposed to space the boards at all, they were smashed tight together and were holding moisture. The rubber mats that I pulled out were basically long rubber strips like from tires or something that were 'sewn' together. In other words, they did jack for preventing urine from hitting the boards and then sitting there! I figure I'm going to have my oak boards spaced, and then put solid mats on top, with bedding, that way vast majority of wet spots gets trapped in bedding where it can be picked out and doesn't sit on the wood floors.
I've had to scoop out a mosquito-larva laden puddle out of the manger. I'll still have to clean that out well, though thankfully the water's all out of it.
Mom and I are going to buy the vinyl fabric needed to recover all the mats (black! Unless I find really cool red vinyl, then I want red!) since a couple of them are really really torn up. I'll have to get some more plyboard to use as backing there though.
I also need to fix the lights, some of them aren't working. And, I also need to find a way to turn the plug-in on my jeep for the lights, the trailer plug won't fit the box because it's sideways instead of straight back-facing.
And then I also want to remove all the decals (shame, some of them I like, although there's a fade-through on the front of the For Sale sign that was on it and on the drivers side there's the outline of an old decal that reads Save a Horse... Ride a Cowboy!) and power wash and repaint. I'm going to keep the white/black/red color scheme because it's absolutely adorable, but I also want to paint the inside (it looks like crap, the inside paint is spattered with black and shriveled and cracking) and scrub rust off the latches and handles and hinges and give them all a good WD-40 treatment.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Eye of the Horse
Just popping in to share this absolutely stunning photo I took of Siaga's eye. Getting him to hold still is a horribly difficult challenge! But somehow, the Horse Gods and Goddesses smiled upon me yesterday when I toted my camera up to a very curious horse.
This photo is, by way, available for sale as a high quality print here.
This photo is, by way, available for sale as a high quality print here.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Riding season is upon us!
Well and so...
I bought a new saddle, bridle, breast collar, reins, saddle pad, girth, wither strap for the breast collar, and a few other things. In other words, an entirely new tack set, of the Western variety.
I used to ride western primarily until I learned a bit more about saddle fit and how my western saddle was damaging my horses back, wherein I completely overhauled. I jumped in headfirst and bought my horse a set of English tack, starting with a Wintec dressage saddle with an easy-change gullet system. I've taken dressage lessons and really learned how to hold myself in the saddle.
Missing the Western riding, I dug back into it (with a flying leap) and bought a whole tack set in preparation for the trail riding season. I applied to the Ohio Horseman's Council (I'm still waiting to hear back from them) and I've already been out to ride once this season.
The saddle fits well, though it's a smidge long and certainly makes him look so tiny! But then again, he is tiny! And the breast collar is definitely too big, I'll have to punch some holes in the straps and get the wither strap on there when it comes in, which will help hold it up where it's supposed to be.
Siaga was also so *thrilled* to be my coat hanger for a few minutes while I prepared to switch out his bridle for his halter. At least I can 100% say that my horse is not afraid of bright blue and white plaid flannel shirts.
Seriously though, he's so beautiful. :D
And one more thing before you go, just watch this adorableness.
I bought a new saddle, bridle, breast collar, reins, saddle pad, girth, wither strap for the breast collar, and a few other things. In other words, an entirely new tack set, of the Western variety.
I used to ride western primarily until I learned a bit more about saddle fit and how my western saddle was damaging my horses back, wherein I completely overhauled. I jumped in headfirst and bought my horse a set of English tack, starting with a Wintec dressage saddle with an easy-change gullet system. I've taken dressage lessons and really learned how to hold myself in the saddle.
Missing the Western riding, I dug back into it (with a flying leap) and bought a whole tack set in preparation for the trail riding season. I applied to the Ohio Horseman's Council (I'm still waiting to hear back from them) and I've already been out to ride once this season.
The saddle fits well, though it's a smidge long and certainly makes him look so tiny! But then again, he is tiny! And the breast collar is definitely too big, I'll have to punch some holes in the straps and get the wither strap on there when it comes in, which will help hold it up where it's supposed to be.
Siaga was also so *thrilled* to be my coat hanger for a few minutes while I prepared to switch out his bridle for his halter. At least I can 100% say that my horse is not afraid of bright blue and white plaid flannel shirts.
Seriously though, he's so beautiful. :D
And one more thing before you go, just watch this adorableness.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Big updates!
Well, last Saturday, on the 22 of February, my friends and I went back to Last Chance Corral again to see all the babies and take a hefty donation!
My other update is that.... I bought a horse trailer! It's in pretty good condition, mostly needs some minor repairs and some cosmetic touch ups, but it's already super cute as it is.
Some of the floor boards under the mats need to be torn out and replaced, some new pins for the top halves of the back doors, and some serious cleaning and replacing the spare tire and a couple of the pads on the inside need replaced, too. But, I got a good price on it and even haggled the starting price down a couple hundred bucks!
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| The view from the road. |
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| This bay and the buckskin filly in the middle were both adopted while we were there. |
My other update is that.... I bought a horse trailer! It's in pretty good condition, mostly needs some minor repairs and some cosmetic touch ups, but it's already super cute as it is.
Some of the floor boards under the mats need to be torn out and replaced, some new pins for the top halves of the back doors, and some serious cleaning and replacing the spare tire and a couple of the pads on the inside need replaced, too. But, I got a good price on it and even haggled the starting price down a couple hundred bucks!
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Barn Thoughts
In the quiet mornings when I'm in the barn, mucking Siaga's stall and whatnot, I have lots of time to think. Today I thought about some revelations found in a book I'm currently reading (Hiking Through: One Man's Journey to Peace and Freedom on the Appalachian Trail) regarding how we spend so much effort trying to gather physical wealth when, according to the author, the wealthiest person he knows is a man he knows as Sailor, a fellow hiker, who had both his sons AND his wife pop into the trail at scattered intervals to hike a section with him. The author, Paul, who went by the trail name of Apostle, never knew Sailor's real name, and certainly never knew his social or wealth status. On the trail, everyone is the same.
"If you can't carry it in your heart or on your back, you probably don't need it" -Sir Enity, another fellow hiker.
Anyway, in the barn this morning, I was comparing this to my own life. My family does pretty well, somewhere in the middle of America's middle class. We have several TVs and computers and live on a small tract of land in the country where we have a car for each of us, a barn, a horse, a dog, and two cats. There's always food and electricity. But ultimately, it's the bonds we have between us, yes, the animals, too, that makes us wealthy.
Over Christmas, I found myself irrationally jealous of my friend, who I will give a trail moniker of "Blind" to. Blind had received for Christmas something that I have been wanting for a while. Her family is not nearly as well off as mine, but somehow, my family couldn't afford to give me such a thing, nor would I ever even think to ask for it. I was happy to receive enough money from my dad to buy my next bale of hay.... even though I was still jealous.
But now that I think back on it, even though I still want the game that she got, I also look back on how unhappy she is. I chose "Blind" to call her because she can be very blind indeed. She's always unhappy, even during the best of times. She claims she's always tired, EXHAUSTED, even, but she only works one part time job. The rest of her life is free to be hers. She has a family that loves her and a boyfriend who she brags about, many adorable loveable fluff ball cats, and several friends who love her to death... but she's still unhappy. She's blind because she ignores the many wonderful blessings she has.
I, on the other hand, am perfectly content to work my two jobs, both technically part time but one with almost full time hours, and attend college part time, AND have to come home and do my barn chores every night and get up and do them every morning. Ultimately, very little of my time is *my* time... but I'm still happy.
The difference between Blind and I is that she looks up, at all the things she doesn't have, and says she doesn't have the energy to climb up there to get them because it's too hard, while I look all around. I look down and see the people and animals who love me, my strongest support system, I look directly around me and see I'm right where I'm supposed to be, and I look up at my future hopes and goals and dreams... and then proceed to climb. I'm not leaving my loved ones behind, because they climb with me.
"If you can't carry it in your heart or on your back, you probably don't need it" -Sir Enity, another fellow hiker.
Anyway, in the barn this morning, I was comparing this to my own life. My family does pretty well, somewhere in the middle of America's middle class. We have several TVs and computers and live on a small tract of land in the country where we have a car for each of us, a barn, a horse, a dog, and two cats. There's always food and electricity. But ultimately, it's the bonds we have between us, yes, the animals, too, that makes us wealthy.
Over Christmas, I found myself irrationally jealous of my friend, who I will give a trail moniker of "Blind" to. Blind had received for Christmas something that I have been wanting for a while. Her family is not nearly as well off as mine, but somehow, my family couldn't afford to give me such a thing, nor would I ever even think to ask for it. I was happy to receive enough money from my dad to buy my next bale of hay.... even though I was still jealous.
But now that I think back on it, even though I still want the game that she got, I also look back on how unhappy she is. I chose "Blind" to call her because she can be very blind indeed. She's always unhappy, even during the best of times. She claims she's always tired, EXHAUSTED, even, but she only works one part time job. The rest of her life is free to be hers. She has a family that loves her and a boyfriend who she brags about, many adorable loveable fluff ball cats, and several friends who love her to death... but she's still unhappy. She's blind because she ignores the many wonderful blessings she has.
I, on the other hand, am perfectly content to work my two jobs, both technically part time but one with almost full time hours, and attend college part time, AND have to come home and do my barn chores every night and get up and do them every morning. Ultimately, very little of my time is *my* time... but I'm still happy.
The difference between Blind and I is that she looks up, at all the things she doesn't have, and says she doesn't have the energy to climb up there to get them because it's too hard, while I look all around. I look down and see the people and animals who love me, my strongest support system, I look directly around me and see I'm right where I'm supposed to be, and I look up at my future hopes and goals and dreams... and then proceed to climb. I'm not leaving my loved ones behind, because they climb with me.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Brrr!
I know I don't update much. Like, ever.
But you know you really don't want to read a post every few days that goes like this: It's cold. I fed the horse. He has a blanket. I hauled water out of the bathtub again. Hose is frozen.
EVERY.
SINGLE.
DAY.
...Yeah, really.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm craving sunshine and warmth! I'm ready to do some trail riding! Some hiking! Some swimming! Some camping! Hell!! I even want to go FISHING! (Ewww! Worm guts and fish stink!!) hahahah.
I'm going stir crazy in this cold weather.
Why do I live in Ohio?!?!
Also! On December 18th, it was officially 9 years that I've had Siaga. :)
But you know you really don't want to read a post every few days that goes like this: It's cold. I fed the horse. He has a blanket. I hauled water out of the bathtub again. Hose is frozen.
EVERY.
SINGLE.
DAY.
...Yeah, really.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm craving sunshine and warmth! I'm ready to do some trail riding! Some hiking! Some swimming! Some camping! Hell!! I even want to go FISHING! (Ewww! Worm guts and fish stink!!) hahahah.
I'm going stir crazy in this cold weather.
Why do I live in Ohio?!?!
Also! On December 18th, it was officially 9 years that I've had Siaga. :)
 |
| Looking out his stall door in the morning, ready to go for a run in the snow. |
Friday, October 25, 2013
Saving for a Rainy Day
So I've been saving my money. I've got a savings account that I opened with a mere $100 and I add to it every pay day. This savings account is my "Rainy Day" fund. But I don't mean "Rainy Day" like "in case of emergency." No, indeed.
Since I've been attending school for business, I've started to see a slow rise of expectations in myself, this gathering of hope and joy and awe for the knowledge that my rescue I've been aiming at for so long will finally be coming to fruition within the next ten years or so. I've been thinking up names... because names give me a feeling of a solid goal to work towards, something more specific than just "my rescue." "Rainy Day Rescues" is one of the many. It's far to soon to settle on one, however, so I'm not going to list them all, I just wanted to share with you all this little tidbit of how I'm coming along.
In other news, Siaga is getting fat and is a happy hoofer, and while I don't necessarily want him fat, I prefer fat over winter than skin and bones over winter, of course, so we're stocking up as much as we can. :)
I have a new tack box that started out as a 4'x4'x4' shipping crate, and the back of the barn is cleaned out for hay storage. I've got a round bale out side under the shelter he's munching on, and one inside that I use to hay him for over night, though he doesn't eat as much at night as he does in the day, so the outside bale is inevitably going far faster than the inside bale!
I haven't been riding much, but maybe this is a weird confession to be making. I love horses, and I love riding, but it's not the riding that does it for me. It's that simple bond, that trusting feeling I get. Riding Siaga makes me nervous and I'm sad to say that because of that I don't ride as much as I should. I am simply happy to be around him and take care of him and give him a happy life... though that nervous feeling isn't going to stop me at all from eventually learning to canter with him. I can canter on many other horses, I just get in my own way with Siaga. If I had the money for a trainer, I'd have him go to the trainer for a month just to get his directions and everything down. He's still so green, even though he's a wonderful fellow on the ground. I don't know. I'm considering starting mild endurance training with him in the spring, which will help give us the miles needed to relax us both lol.
Since I've been attending school for business, I've started to see a slow rise of expectations in myself, this gathering of hope and joy and awe for the knowledge that my rescue I've been aiming at for so long will finally be coming to fruition within the next ten years or so. I've been thinking up names... because names give me a feeling of a solid goal to work towards, something more specific than just "my rescue." "Rainy Day Rescues" is one of the many. It's far to soon to settle on one, however, so I'm not going to list them all, I just wanted to share with you all this little tidbit of how I'm coming along.
In other news, Siaga is getting fat and is a happy hoofer, and while I don't necessarily want him fat, I prefer fat over winter than skin and bones over winter, of course, so we're stocking up as much as we can. :)
I have a new tack box that started out as a 4'x4'x4' shipping crate, and the back of the barn is cleaned out for hay storage. I've got a round bale out side under the shelter he's munching on, and one inside that I use to hay him for over night, though he doesn't eat as much at night as he does in the day, so the outside bale is inevitably going far faster than the inside bale!
I haven't been riding much, but maybe this is a weird confession to be making. I love horses, and I love riding, but it's not the riding that does it for me. It's that simple bond, that trusting feeling I get. Riding Siaga makes me nervous and I'm sad to say that because of that I don't ride as much as I should. I am simply happy to be around him and take care of him and give him a happy life... though that nervous feeling isn't going to stop me at all from eventually learning to canter with him. I can canter on many other horses, I just get in my own way with Siaga. If I had the money for a trainer, I'd have him go to the trainer for a month just to get his directions and everything down. He's still so green, even though he's a wonderful fellow on the ground. I don't know. I'm considering starting mild endurance training with him in the spring, which will help give us the miles needed to relax us both lol.
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